By ALICE NACHILEMBE
ZIIMA President Jajah Coulibaly has condemned the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) for their biased accreditation of media houses to the results centre.
Mr Coulibaly said that as a referee in the election, ECZ should have accredited journalists from all media institutions.
He said it is worrying for the ECZ to play politics with the media as if they are a political party.
Mr Coulibaly said that such illegal acts give credence to claims that they have a scheme to bar objective media houses and journalists from the results centre, specifically to manipulate the flow of accurate information.
He said that how can mainstream media be denied accreditation in preference to PF propagandist blogs! Such as Smart Eagles.
Mr Coulibaly the act will complicate the standing of the ECZ after the elections.
“We want to implore the electoral body to reconsider their position and accredit all those media institutions they denied accreditation,” he said.
He has called on local and international election observers to carefully take into account the current schemes being advanced by the ruling party and the elections body as such actions have the potential to affect or disadvantage the ordinary Zambian during this election period.
Mr Coulibaly has also said that ZIIMA has observed with concern the reported cloning of one of Zambia’s leading privately owned newspapers, The Mast by suspected PF agents to suit their appetite for toxic hate speech.
He said that the said publication under headline, ‘HH is a Satanist’ has potential to draw the media house into unnecessary conflict with the UPND and the party President Mr Hakainde Hichilema in person.
Mr Coulibaly said that most politicians from the PF have no agenda and message in this campaign, they have tried to muzzle the media and now they have started cloning newspapers.
Mr Coulibaly said that they did this to News Diggers within this year and circulated it online. And now they have moved to The Mast.
“We wonder which private newspaper they will target next. This is absurdity that deserves strong reprimand. there is even a disclaimer from The Mast Newspaper, but some known PF surrogates have continued to circulate the illegality on social media platforms,” he said.
He said it’s indeed a shame that the ruling party can go to such levels, the police should investigate the people doing this and arrest them without delay.
