The Imo Newspaper Publishers Association, INPA, has set up a three-man Electoral Committee to conduct polls for the election of new executive for the association.
The Committee is headed by the Publisher of National Newsbreak Newspaper, Gele Agbai.
Other members are Stanley Duruanyim, Publisher of Newsday Newspaper who serves as Secretary and Publisher of Announcer Express Newspaper represented by Emma Madumere (member).
Inaugurating the committee during a general meeting of the association held on Friday, August 9 at the association's secretariat in Owerri, Chairman of the association, Chief Declan Anaele promised that the executive would give the committee the necessary support to conduct credible polls for the association.
He noted that his executive was enthroned on September 18, 2021 and would be required to hand over to a new executive on September 18 this year.
Chief Anaele solicited the cooperation of members to ensure that peaceful, free and fair elections were held before the hand over date.
The Chairman reeled out the achievements of his executive to include organizing an award ceremony, maintaining cordial relationship between INPA, government and other media associations as well as seeing to the well being of the generality of the member companies.
He expressed his profound gratitude to God that the association did not lose any member during his reign.
In his acceptance speech, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Gele Agbai pledged on behalf of other members of the committee, to conduct polls devoid of manipulation and ballot swapping.
He stressed that the elections will not be like the ones conducted by electoral bodies in the country in which candidates lose to the electoral commissions rather than to their opponents.
Agbai thanked members for the confidence reposed in the electoral committee and promised they will not betray the trust.
Recall that INPA came into existence in 2011 with the Publisher of Announcer Express, Chief Joe Anyama of blessed memory as its pioneer chairman.
Chief Anyama was succeeded by Chief Bright Chimezie Njoku of the Nigerian Horn Newspaper who handed over to Apostle Lambert Ojukwu of the Nigerian Newspoint Newspaper.
Under Apostle Ojukwu, the association was polarized into two factions leading to the emergence of Mr. Vitalis Diala, Publisher of Eastern News as interim Chairman and later Mr Chidi Emeagi, Publishr of Nigerian Newsguide Newspaper as an elected Chairman.
Apostle Ojukwu later handed over to Chief Henry Ekpe, Co-Publisher of the Trumpeta Newspaper to pursue his quest for the Chairmanship seat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Imo State Council.
Ekpe was able to reunite the association resulting in the Emeagi-led executive winding down.
Since inception, INPA has conferred Man of the Year awards to two illustrious sons of Imo State namely late Rt. Hon. Bethel Amadi, a former President Pan African Parliament, PAP and Eziopara Ben Anyanwu, a freight forwarder.
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