African Independent Television (AIT) owners received
N10 billion to produce and air negative documentaries
on leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a
SaharaReporters investigation shows.
According to SaharaReporters the Minister for Petroleum Affairs,
Diezani Allison-Madueke is bankrolling the documentary while
the scripts and voice overs are being prepared and cut with
the help of the Nigeria Television Authority and some
Nollywood production companies and working for President
Jonathan's re-election.
As a result of the massive deal, AIT, which was in poor
financial shape that its principal owner, Raymond Dokpesi,
had decided to sell it to the banks to which the station owed
several billions of Naira, is now back in good standing. It has
also become considerably bolder because of the backing of
Mrs. Allison-Madueke and other powerful government officials
behind the deal.
Our investigation reveals that AIT receives N5 million each
time an episode of any of the documentaries is aired on their
channels in different Nigerian markets.
Apart from the cost of producing and airing the
documentaries, SaharaReporters found that a team of high-
priced lawyers has also been mobilized with about N3 billion
to handle any legal threats that may arise from the
documentaries. Just last week, APC chieftain Bola Tinubu
sued AIT over the documentary on him.
SaharaReporters learned that the next in the series will focus
on the Vice Presidential candidate of the APC, Prof. Yemi
Osinbajo.
Our source, who didn't want to reveal the content, said the
objective of that show will be to “destroy” Prof. Osinbajo's
position as a strong moral leader in the Christian community.
"The idea is to make the Christians who have left Jonathan
because of Osinbajo's entry into the Presidential race to have
a rethink," our source stated.
“The PDP is still failing the basic mathematics,” a political
analyst told SaharaReporters. “They can squander all of the
money in the Central Bank trying to damage the reputation of
everyone in the opposition, but how does that provide a cover
for the ineptitude and corruption of the Goodluck Jonathan
government? Does that explain why Nigeria is far worse than
they found it? That is the question Nigerians will be
answering when they go to the polls in three weeks.”
