Senate bars 10 TV stations from plenary; Arise, AIT, and Channels granted access

Ten television stations have been prohibited from covering legislative activities as Senators return to the newly renovated Chamber.

The National Assembly Sergeant-At-Arms, who prevented journalists from accessing the gallery, informed the press that Senate President Godswill Akpabio had instructed the security unit to limit the number of media outlets covering proceedings.

A document signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Chinedu Akubueze, stated that only seven media outlets could cover the proceedings. This document was posted at the entrance to the chamber.

The accredited media outlets include Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Channels, African Independent Television (AIT), Television Continental (TVC), Arise News, Newage, and ADBN.

The leadership of the Press Corps met with the Clerk of the Senate last Wednesday to address issues related to covering proceedings in the chamber.

Journalists reporting on the National Assembly have expressed surprise at the Senate's decision to exclude some TV stations from covering its plenary sessions while discussions on the matter were still ongoing.