*Say NPO, not Arise/THISDAY owner initiated peace meeting *THISDAY: Obaigbena never sought any meeting, but honoured invitation by Osoba, Amuka, other media leaders
Contrary to the misinformation and representation of a peace meeting between the Founder, Arise News Channel/Publisher of THISDAY newspapers, Prince Nduka Obaigbena and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) that Obaigbena reached out for a truce, media stakeholders have urged organisation and individuals to stop embellishing the matter.
The organisations as well as veteran media managers, in a statement, also refuted a phantom news item by an online medium purporting that Obaigbena initiated the meeting between himself and the APC PCC, stressing that it was at the instance of the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO).
The statement was jointly signed by the President, Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) /NPO, Mallam Kabiru Yusuf; the President Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mr. Mustapha Isah and the President Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chief Chris Isiguzo.
According to the statement, those at the meeting were NPAN Life Patron and former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba; Publisher of the Vanguard Newspapers/NPAN Life Patron, Mr. Sam Amuka and President of the NPAN, Yusuf.
In addition, the statement stated that NGE President, Isah and President of the NUJ, Isiguzo, were present at the peace meeting.
It stated that also present at the meeting were the leadership of Arise TV and the Media Directorate of the APC PCC, the two parties that were engaged in recent exchanges in the media.
“The Arise TV was represented by Mr. Nduka Obaigbena along with two of his top managers: Eniola Bello, Managing Director of ThisDay Newspapers and Kayode Komolafe, Group Executive Director /ThisDay Ombudsman.
“On the other side were Mr. Dele Alake, Director of Strategic Communications of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and Mr. Olawale Edun, a member of the Presidential Campaign Council/Chairman of The Nation Newspapers.
“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 stakeholders stated.
According to the statement, 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 media veterans added that 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 bygones be bygones and that any embellishment on the outcome of the meeting represents the figment of some people’s imagination,” the statement added.
THISDAY stressed that Obaigbena never sought for the meeting; he only honoured the invitation of Osoba and Amuka to the peace meeting.
Also, it is important to note that a photograph being circulated on the social media by some misguided elements and organisations, which has Obaigbena and the APC presidential candidate, Mr. Bola Tinubu, was taken in August, during the funeral ceremony of Obaigbena’s mother which Tinubu attended in Delta State.
