By Ashie Osor
Information chapel Nakanda Amboni Iyadim, has emerged the chairman of Cross River Government House Press Corps.
The election conducted Wednesday, at the Presidential Lodge, Calabar, a temporary office of the team, saw Iyadim beating his opponent, Sunny Inah of Cross River Broadcasting Corporation, with 12 votes against three.
Others who emerged victorious were Thelma Eneji of Channels television who clinched the Secretary position while Ashie Osor of Nigerian Chronicle, secured the treasurership position of the corps.
The duo of Eneji and Osor were returned unopposed as there were no contenders to slug it out with them, at the contest.
Announcing the results, a Director in the unit who served as the returning officer, Alhaji Bello Audu, informed that a total of 16 votes were cast, one void, leaving 15 valid votes.
He further announced that out of the 15 valid votes cast, Nakanda Iyadim secured 12 while Sunny Inah got three votes.
Audu charged members to accept both the victory and the defeat in good faith, as the positions have no financial benefits attached.
Deputy Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Cross River, Edem Darlington, who also monitored the elections with other government aides, remarked that the Corps is not a chapel, hence should work in harmony as a family with the core objective of propagating the policies and programs of government.
“You will not be paid specially after this contest, so, don’t harbour any grudge if you lose the contest.
“It is just for good leadership roles so as to pilot the affairs of the team as well as help in the dissemination of government information through your various media houses,” the governor’s aide said.
In his acceptance speech, the new chairman lauded the immediate past head and executive of the corps for their leadership roles which snowball to another election seven years after the last was conducted. He solicited the cooperation of all to enable him and his team function optimally.
“This is purely a pressure group because it comprises both the Radio, Television and Theatre Arts Workers’ Union RATTAWU and the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ. It is not by anyway a union.
“While we serve here as press team and while we serve the governor, someone should be there as a spokesperson at every point to solicit for our welfare and better working condition for members, this is what we want to do.
“I want to do it transparently and want to do it with all your cooperations.
“Our tasks primarily is to propagate the policies and programmes of this administration and of course we know that the mantra of this administration is ‘people’s first’ and the people’s first will start by our propagation through balanced and unbiased stories that we put out to the public to build their consciousness,” Iyadim stated.
The event had also in attendance the Special Assistant to the Governor on Electronics media, Imani Odey who earlier served as a Secretary of the corps, among other aides to the governor.
Iyadim is also the Information officer, Governor’s office and takes over from Sunny Inah who served as acting chairman of the corps for two weeks, after the elevation of the former chairman, AIT Rasheed Olarenwaju, to the position of Special Assistant, media and publicity to Cross River governor, Prince Bassey Otu.
