The Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), on Friday in Abakaliki elected a new executive to run its affairs for the next three years.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Sampson Nwafor, the correspondent of the Daily Independent, emerged Chairman in the election adjudged very credible and transparent.
Mr Nabob Ogbonna of the Daily Trust and Mr Christian Ogbonna of the News Agency of Nigeria were elected Secretary and Treasurer respectively.
The Chairman of the three-man Electoral Committee, Emmanuel Okechukwu who announced the result, commended the members for their orderly conduct and maturity displayed during the exercise.
Okechukwu, the Correspondent of the Hallmark newspaper, urged the winners to be magnanimous in victory, and the lossers to support and embrace the winners in the interest of the chapel.
“In this election, there is no winner and no vanquished. Those who won must embrace those that lost.
“I also urge those that lost to support the winners so that the chapel will move forward,” he said.
The new executive members were swron-in by Mr Emmanuel Irem, an ex-officio member of the State Council of the union.
He commended the chapel for the peaceful conduct of the election and charged the leadership to work hard in the overall interest of NUJ in the state.
The chairman, in an acceptance speech on behalf of the new executive, thanked the members for the confidence reposed in them which they expressed through their votes.
Nwafor promised that the executive would work to promote the interest of members and he would not dissappoint the chapel in carrying out the responsibilities bestowed on him as the chairman.
“Going forward, we will constitute a think-tank committee to be known as Elders Committee,” he said.
According to him, the committee will help the leadership draw a roadmap that will promote the good and wellbeing of members.
“The committee will be made up of elderly members who have garnered wide experience in this profession,” the chairman said.
NAN reports that Nwafor polled a total of 17 votes to defeat Mr Uchenna Inya of the New Telegraph newspaper who got 11 votes.
The new secretary polled 20 votes to defeat Mr Moses Nwite who go eight votes while the treasurer was returned unopposed. (NAN)
