Legacy FM 95.1, a privately owned radio station in Ebonyi State, has suspended its acting General Manager, Mr. Godfrey Chikwere, over alleged repeated negative commentary about Governor Francis Nwifuru and his administration.
The station’s management announced the suspension on Saturday, citing violations of its code of conduct.
A statement from Legacy FM read:
“The management of Legacy FM 95.1, The Sound of Now, hereby suspends the acting General Manager, Godfrey Chikwere, with immediate effect, till further notice. This is due to unruly behaviour and disobedience to the code of conduct guiding Legacy FM.”
Chikwere was also directed to hand over all company property in his possession to the next senior officer.
Sources revealed that the suspension followed a Facebook post by Chikwere on Friday, in which he called on Governor Nwifuru to take tougher stances in governance. He alleged that the administration suffered from weak communication, poor performance by appointees, and a lack of policy direction, warning that the situation was eroding public support.
The post appears to have triggered backlash from government officials.
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Monday Uzor, condemned the remarks, describing them as baseless and ungrateful, especially in light of what he said was the government’s support for the station. Uzor noted the governor had donated a vehicle, a transformer, and constructed access roads for the station.
“It is regrettable that despite the radio station thriving only on government support, the supposed helmsman dedicates a greater percentage of the station’s airtime to attack and run down the government,” he said.
Echoing similar sentiments, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information, Ikeuwa Omebeh, called Chikwere’s comments “inciting and derogatory,” and accused him of exceeding the limits of acceptable criticism.
He said Chikwere’s remarks were not only a personal attack on the governor but also “an affront to the collective identity of the people of Ebonyi State.”
