Boniface Okoro in Umuahia
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Abia State, Dr. Kelechi Anosike, has said government and the media must function as partners, not adversaries, if democracy and the welfare of the people are to be protected ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Anosike made the call while addressing members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abia State Council, during their Monthly Congress at the NUJ Press Centre, Aba Road, Umuahia.
The legal practitioner and international oil and gas commercial lawyer, who holds degrees from Abia State University, the Nigerian Law School and the University of Dundee, Scotland, said he came to speak “more as a statesman” on the tripartite relationship between “government, the media and the people.”
Describing himself as “the welfarist governorship candidate of the PDP”, Anosike said the media’s primary duty is accountability, not public relations for politicians.
“The media is not a campaign instrument for politicians. I see you more as critical stakeholders and partners in democratic accountability and the welfare of the people,” he said.
“If you remove the people, there is no government. So government exists for the people, and that places an additional responsibility on the media to report to government where the people are hurting.”
He charged journalists to interrogate candidates and policies ahead of 2027.
“2027 must be a referendum of ideas, not personalities, not social media hype. It’s about ideas,” Anosike said.
“The media should ask every candidate: What exactly will you do? How much will it cost? Where will the money come from? Who will implement it? What is the timeline? How will citizens measure success?”
He urged the press to shift from hype to outcomes.
“Your microphone should be more of a microscope, explaining government policies and how they affect the people, and not a megaphone for politicians. Don’t just report how many roads were commissioned. Ask: Did it reduce transportation cost? Did farmers get to market? Did people get jobs?”
Anosike said a welfarist government has no reason to fear the press.
“Government and the media are not enemies, even though some governments perceive it as such,” he said. “A welfarist government empowers the media to ask those hard questions, to investigate what we do, and to tell us where our policies are hurting the people.”
He proposed a structured partnership anchored on regular engagement.
“The media should not only meet government when there is crisis. There should be a regular interface. Monthly media chats are good and should be encouraged. Every ministry and agency must grant the media access to critical information. A government that blocks access to information is not a responsible government.”
Linking his ideology to the working conditions of journalists, Anosike said, “If I say I’m a welfarist, I cannot exclude journalists. The man who reports the welfare of the people must not himself be forgotten by government.”
He announced two immediate interventions for Abia journalists, including provision of a generator and fans for the NUJ Press Centre which were delivered the next day, to address power and heat challenges and completion and upgrade of the abandoned NUJ Secretariat with modern ICT facilities within the first 100 days of his administration.
“A modern media industry requires modern working facilities. Government should not merely ask journalists to perform. Government should help create the environment in which they can perform professionally,” he said.
He added that a welfarist government must also concern itself with the safety, training, and welfare of both serving and retired media practitioners.
“We will support the media, but we will never buy the media. Your loyalty at all times must be to truth and to the people. The media must be free enough to criticise government, and responsible enough to tell the truth about government,” he said.
Anosike said his administration would prioritise “Operation Feed Abia (OFA)” — a back-to-farm state policy for food sufficiency and a “No Abia Student-Left- Behind” policy to, among other things, equip health facilities in all tertiary institutions in the state and provide skills plus startup grants to graduates.
He declared that PDP remains “the strongest and most formidable party in Abia State” and that “this is a new PDP, with new mindsets, welfarist mindsets, new focus, new direction.”
“Those you say killed Abia in 24 years have left PDP. They are now in APC, Labour, ADC,” he said. “Power belongs to the people.”
In his remarks, Abia PDP Chairman and Deputy Governorship Candidate, Elder Amah Abraham, described Anosike as “the new face of PDP” and “Governor-in-waiting” with “an unblemished personality.”
“I am not just seeking media support. I am asking the media to interrogate Kelechi Anosike. If I make a mistake, ask me how. If I make a claim, ask me for evidence. Government will provide the environment, journalists will provide the scrutiny,” he declared.
Earlier, NUJ Chairman, Comrade Chidi Asonye, welcomed Anosike and assured him of partnership, while the NUJ National Treasurer, in a vote of thanks, commended the candidate’s vision for the media.