Media stakeholders have resolved the rift between the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Thisday and Arise News Television, Nduka Obaigbena, and the media team of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Obaigbena and the media team of the APC Presidential Campaign Council had been engaged in a war of words after the former accused the ruling party of attempting to silence the media and bully the country’s press ahead of the 2023 general election.
However, the media stakeholders in a statement issued on Friday said the main parties in the dispute have agreed to “let bygone be bygone and that any embellishment on the outcome of the meeting represents the figment of some people’s imagination.”
The statement was jointly signed by the NPAN/NPO President, Kabiru A. Yusuf; NGE President, Mustapha Isah; and NUJ President, Chris Isiguzo.
The statement read: “Nigerian Media stakeholders including NPAN Life Patron and former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Publisher of the Vanguard Newspapers/NPAN Life Patron, Mr. Sam Amuka, President of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) Mal. Kabiru A. Yusuf, President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr. Mustapha Isah and President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chief Chris Isiguzo, last Sunday met with the leadership of the Arise TV and the Media Directorate of the All Progressive Congress Presidential Campaign Council, the two parties that were engaged in recent exchanges in the media.
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“The Arise TV was represented by Mr. Nduka Obaigbena along with two of his top managers: Eniola Bello, Managing Director of This Day Newspapers, and Kayode Komolafe, Group Executive Director /This Day Ombudsman.
“On the other side were Mr. Dele Alake, Director of Strategic Communications of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and Mr. Olawale Edun, Chairman of Vintage Press Limited – publisher of The Nation Newspapers and treasurer of NPAN and member of the NPO.
“Also present at the meeting which held at the residence of Chief Osoba, was Mr Gbenga Adefaye, the General Manager/Editor–in–chief of Vanguard Newspapers/Acting Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism.
“The meeting was at the instance of the Nigeria Press Organisation (NPO). The meeting resolved that considering the fellowship among us and overall interest of press freedom in the country, the disagreement between the two parties should be settled amicably and without any preconditions. In the spirit of this gentlemanly agreement, the meeting decided that it was not necessary to issue a public statement.
“However, we are forced to rescind this stand when news reports began to appear that misrepresented what happened. We wish to draw the attention of our friends in the media and the public at large, that the main parties in this dispute, have agreed to let bygone be bygone and that any embellishment on the outcome of the meeting represents the figment of some people’s imagination,” the media stakeholders noted.
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