On March 9, 2019, Channels TV reporter, Collin Ossai; his cameraman and a radio journalist with Speed FM were blocked from covering the voting process at a polling station in the Esan Central local government area of Edo state by the unnamed politician.
The man who identified himself as a candidate in the March 9, 2019 State Parliamentary election barred journalists from getting into the vicinity of the polling station.
Collins and others had reached the polling station at about 7:35am and were trying to verify if election materials had arrived. He said as he disembarked from his car and tried to access the polling station, about 10 men surrounded the car and began pushing him and telling him he could not enter the polling station. He and the other journalists left without being able to cover voting at the polling unit.
He said he faced similar situation as “big guys” intimidated him and prevented him from bringing out his camera while trying to cover several other polling stations in the area.
