Ata Ikiddeh, a close ally of Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has warned Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State of the “grim” and “severe” implications of the blacklisting of Mr Eno by the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria.
IPI is a global organisation which campaigns against media suppression. It has its headquarters in Vienna, Austria.
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IPI Nigeria blacklisted Mr Eno and the Akwa Ibom State Government on 2 December for the expulsion of Channels Television correspondent Christopher Moffat and the station’s cameraman, Kufre Ikpe, from the Akwa Ibom Government House Press Corps.
Mr Eno had banned the Channels Television crew for leaking a video clip containing the governor’s remarks in which he had vowed to control the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom, even when he was defecting to the All Progressives Congress.
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“What is wrong with being interested (in controlling the PDP)? We would not leave the PDP for thieves to come and hijack it and use it to fight against us.
“We will lead the structure of the party so that they can work together and stay so that people don’t come from outside and think Umo Eno has moved, let me come and hijack the party,” Mr Eno had said in the leaked video.
IPI Nigeria said Mr Eno’s action against the Channels Television journalists seriously violates press freedom and democratic norms.
‘Not a trivial matter’
Mr Ikiddeh, a UK-based Akwa Ibom indigene, said in a Facebook post on 12 December that many have failed “to appreciate the gravity” of the IPI Nigeria’s blacklisting of Governor Eno and the Akwa Ibom State Government.
He said the IPI “is not a local guild, it is a global watchdog”, and that “to be listed by the IPI is to be globally profiled as a violator of press freedom”.
Continuing, Mr Ikiddeh said, “In an era when foreign governments increasingly scrutinise Nigeria’s digital platforms and monitor its leaders as persons of concern, such an accusation is not trivial but profoundly consequential.
“Some may dismiss my concerns as alarmist. They would be mistaken.”
Mr Ikiddeh narrated a personal experience, how he was detained at Charles de Gaulle Airport in France in 2012 because the US Homeland Security flagged his activity in an online discussion group.
“I was detained at the airport while the American authorities sought clearance from headquarters before allowing me to board my flight. That was 14 years ago. Today, in 2025, with America’s heightened vigilance regarding Nigerian travellers, the implications are even more grim and severe,” he stated, with the hope that Mr Eno and the Akwa Ibom State Government would give serious attention to the blacklisting of the governor by the IPI Nigeria.
Mr Ikiddeh admitted that the Akwa Ibom State Government expelled the Channels Television crew from the Government House Press Corps for leaking the video clip containing Mr Eno’s remarks.
How Akwa Ibom govt rebuffed IPI Nigeria
Hours after the expulsion of the Channels Television crew, the IPI Nigeria contacted the Commissioner of Information in Akwa Ibom, Aniekan Umanah, who denied the incident.
After conducting its fact-finding investigation into the matter, the IPI Nigeria wrote a letter dated 25 September to Mr Eno, asking the governor to reinstate the journalists. The letter was delivered to Mr Eno on 2 October via a courier service.
“Since their (the journalists’) exclusion, the people of Akwa Ibom State have been denied full access to independent coverage of the activities of their government. This undermines transparency and accountability, principles at the heart of democracy,” the IPI Nigeria told Mr Eno in the letter, which was signed by its President, Musikilu Mojeed, and the Secretary, Ahmed Ibrahim Shekarau.
Continuing, the IPI Nigeria told Mr Eno, “May we remind you that press freedom is guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Expelling or barring journalists from covering the Government House or your administration’s activities constitutes a violation of this constitutional right, as well as of your oath to uphold and defend the Constitution.
“Access to cover the activities of the state government is a constitutional right of the press, not a privilege to be granted or withdrawn at will.”
The IPI Nigeria ended the letter with a warning to Mr Eno: “Failure to recall the Channels Television crew without delay may result in your name and that of your administration being listed in IPI Nigeria’s Black Book, a record of officials, organisations, and individuals whose actions undermine press freedom, independent journalism, and journalists’ safety in Nigeria.”
The non-profit organisation told the Akwa Ibom governor that the black book would be shared with embassies, multilateral bodies, and international partners, and that it would trigger strong advocacy campaigns aimed at holding him, his administration, and other violators accountable both locally and globally.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Governor Eno received the IPI Nigeria’s letter. He forwarded it to his spokesperson, Ekerete Udoh, with the instruction that he should handle the matter.
READ ALSO: The leaked video Gov Eno couldn’t suppress, how it got him blacklisted by IPI Nigeria
When Mr Udoh contacted IPI Nigeria by phone regarding the matter, the organisation requested a formal response so that it could deliberate on it. Mr Udoh did not send any, prompting the organisation to blacklist Mr Eno.
Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State was also listed in the IPI Nigeria’s black book for ordering the closure of Badegi 90.1 FM, an independent radio station in Minna, on 1 August.
Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun was also listed for allowing a culture of impunity within the police force regarding journalists.
While Messrs Bako and Egbetokun have started engaging IPI Nigeria on how they could be delisted from the black book, Governor Eno and his administration preferred to launch a campaign of calumny against IPI Nigeria and its officials.
The Channels Television reporter and cameraman remained barred from entering the Akwa Ibom Government House Press Corps as of 17 December.
Mr Eno has been executing his vow to “lead” the PDP from outside: the PDP state secretariat in Uyo has remained locked and barricaded by the police under the governor’s instruction. Because of the governor’s backing, the sacked PDP executive in the state has refused to vacate office.
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