Vinorkor apologises to legislature-“I am sorry”

Mark Anthony Vinorkor, apologised to Parliament’s Privileges Committee after he reported that Parliament had covertly changed two Constitutional Instruments (CI) which were to regulate the general elections in December


Vinorkor who was before the privileges committee of the house said: “Mr Chairman, I wish to render an unqualified apology to the leadership of parliament and to the entire house for those publications.”

The Daily Graphic reporter whose accreditation was withdrawn after inaccurate reportage has rendered an unqualified apology to the house. 

“After my attention was drawn to the fact there were mistakes in those stories I did, I have realised that I cannot justify the content in those articles or those stories I did,” he added.

He further explained that it was not his intention to misrepresent the proceedings of the house, “I am very sorry, I didn’t mean to put anything out there to suggest that parliament has done anything unconstitutional”

Meanwhile, the committee has decided to meet in-camera arguing that they do not have to go through the process of inviting witnesses and making observations. They said they would rather prepare a report with recommendations for the house to consider.

Background

Parliament banned a Daily Graphic reporter indefinitely for inaccurate reportage. The House has therefore requested that the state-owned media replace their parliamentary correspondent.

The reporter, Mark-Anthony Vinokor, is alleged to have reported earlier that the CI 94 which will regulate the November polls was withdrawn on Friday and relaid on Monday. The report mentioned that a new clause was introduced in article 44 of the CI. His reportage, therefore, concluded that the 21 days maturity should,

therefore, begin on Monday, not Friday.

But on Thursday, July 14, 2016, Parliament, said Vinokor had given an inaccurate report to the patrons of the story. They, therefore, called Vinokor into a meeting with the leaders of the house, where he was asked to publish a rejoinder in Friday’s publication of the Daily Graphic but he failed to do that.

The Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho asked that Vinokor is walked out of the house. He also directed that his accreditation is withdrawn, but was quick to add that Graphic Communications can replace him with a new correspondent.