Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu Threatens Legal Action Over Distorted Interview
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has found himself at the centre of a media controversy after Spin 95.3 FM allegedly distorted an interview he granted to ABN TV, leading to public misinformation and confusion.
In the original interview on ABN TV, Kalu expressed his longstanding friendship with Abia State Governor Alex Otti, noting, “Alex Otti has been my friend for a very long time… every governor in Abia State has always received my support… But we have to push the interest of our party to take over the state.”
However, Spin 95.3 FM reportedly altered the interview’s content, falsely quoting Kalu as saying, “I will not be the number 6 citizen of the country, and another party will govern my state… APC will determine who will become the next governor of Abia state… I have told him in person, I have told him publicly that the APC governor will be next in Abia state.”
Outraged by the misrepresentation, Kalu has threatened legal action against the radio station.
In response, Spin 95.3 FM released a statement denying that they conducted or produced the interview and claiming that they sourced the content from ABN TV’s social media platforms.
The radio station insisted they credited ABN TV when posting the video on their TikTok page.
ABN TV countered these claims, challenging Spin 95.3 FM to produce a portion of the video that matched their shared content.
ABN accused Spin FM of editing their watermarked video, stating, “We challenge Spin FM to explain how their watermark appeared on content they never originally produced.”
The incident underscores the dangers of misinformation in the media, with serious implications for public figures like Kalu.
While currently on holiday, the Deputy Speaker has refused to comment further, stating that his legal team, led by K.C. Nwufor SAN, is preparing to take appropriate action against the media outlets involved.
