Online Media Practitioners in Abia State under the auspices of Online Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria, OMPAN, and other stakeholders on Thursday announced the convening of Abia Town Hall Summit to provide a formal platform for candidates of political parties share their mission, vision and motives for seeking elective political offices with Abians and the general public
In a press release, the Chairman of OMPAN, Chief Paddy Anyatonwu stated that the difference between the Town Hall interface and the open air campaigns is that the atmosphere of the Town Hall session provides Abians and the general public to closely interrogate the candidates by asking specific questions and seeking clarifications how they would implement their proposed manifesto
“The campaigns in the open is more like carnivals. The people do not get the opportunity to ask questions of those seeking elective offices, but during the town session, the candidates would provide clarification how they would execute the proposals in their manifesto”, Chief Anyatonwu stated
He further added that OMPAN in partnership with other media establishments in the State is empowered by Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which stated “the press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media to, at all time, be free to uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people” to facilitate the town hall session
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The release states: “We hereby invite all the governorship, and National Assembly candidates from all the parties in Abia seeking offices in the 2023 General Election to avail themselves of this opportunity to explain the details of the manifesto to Abians”,
The programme would hold on Wednesday, November 23, 2022 in three sessions at Damgrete Hotel, Umuahia
It further added that the Town Hall sessions would be broadcasted live on two radio stations and would be streamed to its over 34 Online newspaper platforms reaching millions of Abians world wide.