Legacy FM 95.1, a privately-owned radio station in Ebonyi State known as The Sound of Now, has suspended its acting General Manager, Mr. Godfrey Chikwere, following allegations of persistent negative coverage of Governor Francis Nwifuru and his administration.
The station’s management announced the suspension on Saturday, citing Chikwere’s conduct as contrary to the station’s code of ethics. A statement from Legacy FM read: “The management of Legacy FM hereby suspends the acting General Manager, Godfrey Chikwere, with immediate effect until further notice. This action is due to unruly behaviour and disobedience to the station’s code of conduct. He is directed to hand over all company property related to his position to the next senior officer.”
The suspension followed Chikwere’s public criticisms, including a post on his Facebook page on Friday where he called on Governor Nwifuru to take a firmer stance in managing state affairs. Chikwere alleged that the governor’s administration suffered from poor communication, underperformance by appointed officials, and a lack of clear policy direction. He also claimed that public perception of the government was being manipulated and advised the governor to “step on toes” to deliver tangible results, warning that the current situation was eroding his support base.
In response, the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Monday Uzor, condemned Chikwere’s remarks as baseless and ungrateful. Uzor highlighted the state government’s support for Legacy FM, noting that the governor had gifted the station a new Changan SUV, donated a transformer to power the station, and constructed the road leading to its premises. Uzor said: “It is regrettable that despite the station thriving largely on government support, its acting General Manager has devoted significant airtime to attacking the government. Rather than balanced coverage, the station has become a platform to undermine the governor’s genuine development efforts. Such ingratitude is disappointing.”
Ebonyi State’s Commissioner for Information, Ikeuwa Omebeh, also condemned Chikwere’s comments as “derogatory and inciting.” In a statement on Saturday, Omebeh accused the acting GM of overstepping his role and said his remarks were unacceptable and disrespectful to the collective identity of the people of Ebonyi State.
