How Olusegun Mcmedal emerged Lagos NIPR Chair

Olusegun Mcmedal, Chairman-elect

Mr. Olusegun Mcmedal, Managing Director of Upticomm Marketing Company Limited on Thursday emerged winner of the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) as Chairman.

Dr. Rotimi Oladele, national President, NIPR

Col. Agim John, chairman of the electoral committee, in Yaba, Lagos, declared Mr. Mcmedal winner with 50 votes to defeat the current chairman, Barrister Joseph Okonmah, who had 29 votes.

82 members were accredited for the election and only 79 votes were recorded.

In July 23, 2015, NEWSVERGE recalled that Mr. Abraham Olusola-Niyi, was appointed caretaker committee chairman following a cold war that brewed between the national secretariat and the Lagos chapter of the institute owing to the cancellation of the chapter’s election which heralded the re-election of Mr. Okonmah, for a second term in office.

The election where Okonmah defeated his major challenger, Mr. Kunle Ogedengbe, was allegedly by the national President, Dr. Rotimi Oladele, acting on the report given by the supervising officer for the election, Mr. Emmanuel Dandaura, disagreed with the audited report which was turned into the national body two weeks to the election date instead of the constitutional thirty days period before the election date.

Barrister Joseph Okonmah, immediate past Chairman, Lagos NIPR

The national body also picked holes in the inconsistency in the voters’ list which the national secretariat put at 104 while the state chapter had only 94 members.

The crisis then was the reason the highly published gala nite of the Lagos chapter which was tenaciously planned by the Olusegun Mcmedal-led planning committee.

The crisis also degenerated to the moment where the national body have to freeze the chapter’s account with First Bank Plc.

In the same vein, inside source told our reporter that the cancellation of the election was as a result of the strained relationship between Dr. Rotimi Oladele, national president and Barrister Joseph Okonmah, Chairman, Lagos state chapter.

The source confirmed to our reporter that the national President preferred Mr. Kunle Ogedengbe, as the chapter’s chairman over Barrister Joseph Okonmah.