ACNPN Passes Vote Of No Confidence On Orhomonokpaye, As Regular Community Newspaper Publishers Pass Vote Of Confidence On SSA

By Daniel Dafe

The Regular Community Newspaper Publishers of Delta State has slammed the Association of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria, ACNPN, for passing a vote of no confidence on the Senior Special Assistant, SSA, to the Governor on Community Newspapers, Mr. Prince Orhomonokpaye.

Recall that the Delta State Council of the Association of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria, ACNPN, after a report by a 5-Man Committee set up to review the seminar recently organized for Community Newspaper Publishers by the SSA to the Governor on Community Newspapers, Mr. Prince Orhomonokpaye.

A statement signed by Comrade Ike Philip Abiagom, State Chairman and Comrade Alaska Ekele, State Secretary, said:  “We appreciate the good intentions of His Excellency, Rt.Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, the Executive Governor of Delta State, for approving and releasing funds for the seminar, but Prince Oromonokpaye’s claim that the seminar was approved for community newspaper publishers and other government appointees was at variance with the practice in previous administrations where such capacity building programmes were specifically organised for community newspaper publishers in the state, saying that “all efforts made by the association to make Prince Oronmakpaye to do the needful met a brick wall, as prince Joseph Oronmakpaye, rained insults on members.”

The body of publishers also said “it is on record that Prince Oronmakpaye has continued to hand pick non members of the ACNPN to pay courtesy visits to MDAs with impunity.”

ACNPN also posited that “from all indications, Prince Oronmakpaye is not a good representative of the Community Newspaper Publishers,” hinging this claim on what they described as “the excesses of Mr Prince Orhomonokpaye in his  unbearable attitude of  reigning curses and abuses on publishers through text messages on daily basis, making it look like the Governor appointed him to torment Publishers instead of representing them well.”

ACNPN also said “that the good intentions of the State Governor, His Excellency, Rt Hon. Elder Sheriff Oborevwori in  appointing   an ACNPN member as  SSA on Community Newspapers  Publishers in state, has been undermined and grossly abused  Mr. Prince Orhomonokpaye.”

Adding: “That the attitude and general behaviour of Mr Prince Orhomonokpaye since his appointment till date has left much to be desired in terms of relationship and synergy between his office and publishers in the state.”

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ACNPN is of the opinion that “it is obvious that Mr. Prince Oronmakpaye’s only mission as SSA on Community Newspapers is to destroy the Association by breeding disunity among members with the aim of annexing the body for possible control to make publishers his foot stool.”

According to the association, “the recent seminar purportedly organized for publishers in the state was the last straw that broke the carmel’s back as Mr. Prince Orhomonokpaye diverted the event meant by the State Governor to better equip publishers in the state in the cause of carrying out their sacred duty of publicising activities of the government to a jamboree for his friends and well-wishers who have no business with news publishing, leaving publishers in sad and regrettable state of mind for attending the event.”

The group also appealed to the Governor to redeploy Orhomonokpaye from the portfolio of Community Newspapers.

But, in a swift reaction, an association under the aegis of Regular Community Newspapers Publishers of Delta State has countered ACNPN, while passing a vote of confidence on Orhomonokpaye.

The statement signed by Pa Joseph Onyibie, Publisher, Ika Voice (Chairman) and Victor Ucheka, Publisher, Pathway News (Secretary), reads in part: “The attention of well-meaning stakeholders in Delta State’s media landscape has been drawn to a recent publication by a faction of the Association of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria (ACNPN), Delta State Council, in which they passed a purported vote of no confidence on Mr. Prince Joseph Orhomonokpaye, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Community Newspapers.

“After a thorough review of the issues raised and the broader context of Prince Orhomonokpaye’s appointment and performance, we, the undersigned publishers, media professionals, and observers, categorically reject the claims made in that press release and instead pass a vote of confidence on Mr. Orhomonokpaye.”

They praised the SSA for his dedication to duty, inclusive approach, support for the Governor’s agenda, commitment to reform, professional conduct and that he has promoted unity and not division.

The said group said that “since his appointment, Prince Orhomonokpaye has shown visible commitment to uplifting the standards of community journalism in Delta State.”

“His passion for engaging with grassroots media and promoting community-based reporting has been evident in his policies and outreach,” the group averred.

“Contrary to the allegations of exclusion, Prince Orhomonokpaye has made deliberate efforts to open up opportunities for a wider circle of media professionals beyond the narrow confines of long-standing associations His attempt to make capacity-building and official engagements more inclusive should be lauded, not vilified,” the group noted.

The association clarified that “the seminar referenced by the ACNPN was part of the SSA’s initiative to align community media with the MORE Agenda of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.”

“It was well-intentioned and aimed at equipping media professionals to better report on governance. Any shortcomings in execution are best addressed through constructive engagement, not character assassination,” the statement added.

The publishers said “Prince Orhomonokpaye’s tenure has been marked by an honest effort to reform a space previously dominated by cliques and personal interests,” just as they said “resistance from entrenched elements should be seen for what it is: an attempt to maintain the status quo and suppress new ideas.”

The statement said further: “While no public servant is perfect, it is wrong and highly unprofessional to label Prince Orhomonokpaye as “uncivilized,” “abusive,” or “irrational.” Such language reflects more on the authors of the original press release than on the subject of their attacks. Disagreements, no matter how strong, should be expressed with decorum and respect.

“Prince Orhomonokpaye has consistently encouraged all publishers—regardless of affiliation—to work together for the growth of community journalism. Attempts to paint him as divisive are baseless and misleading.

“A controversy has emerged surrounding a recent seminar organized for community newspapers publishers and other related political appointees. Sources reveal that Mr Ike Philip Abiagom, Mr. Jude O. and Comrade Alaska Ekele, along with a few others, allegedly requested 500,000 naira each from Prince Joseph Orhomonokpaye.  However, their  request was declined, as the approved budget for the seminar was specifically allocated for training, accommodation, and feeding of the publishers for the three-day event. The attendees were also provided with seminar bags and all necessary materials to ensure the smooth running of the seminar.

“According to reports, Mr Ike Philip Abiagom Mr. Jude O. and Alaska Ekele are reportedly unhappy that their preferred candidate, Mr. Benedict Obiokolie, publisher of Anioma News, was not appointed by the governor. It is alleged that they had collected 500,000 naira from Mr. Obiokolie, promising to influence the governor to appoint him as a Special Assistant (SA). Since the governor did not appoint Mr. Benedict Obiokolie, they vowed to frustrate Prince Joseph Orhomonokpaye and ridicule him in the sight of the governor. The so called executive of ACNPN led by Ike Philip Abiagom are no longer publishing regularly, and they cannot provide up to date copies of their publication. However, regular community newspapers publishers have commended the governor for appointing Jude Obiowego as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on media, expressing their support for the governor’s decision.

“Notable attendees included Dr. Kingsley Emu, Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Charles Aniagwn, Commissioner for Works (Rural) and Public Information, and other commissioners, who either attended personally or sent representatives.”

Furthermore, they affirmed that “Orhomonokpaye has brought energy, vision, and integrity to his role as SSA on Community Newspapers,” stating that although he may not have satisfied the personal expectations of every individual or group, his track record speaks for itself.

“We therefore pass a vote of confidence on Prince Joseph Orhomonokpaye and call on His Excellency, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, to ignore any self-serving attempts to discredit him. Instead, we encourage more constructive collaboration and unity among all media stakeholders in Delta State,” they concluded.

Meanwhile, when contacted, Mr. Obiokolie, denied paying the sum of N500, 000 for appointment.

His words :”I did not collect any money neither did I give anyone money for appointment.”