By Henry Uche
Concerned Members of Health Care Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN), Lagos Branch, has resolve that its decisions at the annual general meeting (AGM) stand remain indisputable and that every member of the group should stay put.
The group said its position is to totally dissociate selves from the cancellation/nullification of the elections conducted and they totally believe and stand by the election conducted on Thursday July 14, 2022 at the National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR).
They affirmed that at the conclusion of the election, a total of 330 ballots were counted in active collaboration by the security officials present (with documentary evidence) with the results as follows: Invalid votes – 1; Biola Paul-Ozieh obtained – 216 while Dr. Emma Onyenuche got – 113.
“We find it necessary to put on record that the purported unilateral annulment made by Dr. Jimmy Arigbabuwo (National President HCPAN) is unconstitutional and a gross abuse of office and it was done in his private capacity as he did not receive the necessary endorsement and approval of the AGM.
“In the spirit of the declaration of the AGM, Mrs. Paul-Ozieh having scored the highest number of valid votes cast should be returned elected and by extension, (as highlighted by the caretaker committee led by the chairman, Dr. Austin Aipoh), Dr. Emma Onyenuche who came second be returned elected as the deputy chairman,” they charged.
The group in a letter addressed to the president, HCPAN, Jimmy Arigbabuwo, and signed by its deputy president, secretary, vice president (nursing), vice president (pharmacy), vice president (medical laboratory scientist).
Other signatories are: vice president (physiotherapy), vice president (optometry), vice president (radiology), chairman, HCPAN Lagos caretaker c’ttee, chairman, HCPAN Lagos electoral c’ttee, and secretary, HCPAN Lagos caretaker c’ttee.
The group maintained that its position on the just concluded HCPAN Lagos elections/AGM held on Thursday JULY 14, 2022, at the NIMR, saw the caretaker committee led by Dr. Austin Aipoh, which agreed on all the modalities of the AGM and elections including announcing that the winner (by simple majority) will be elected as the chairman while the runner up automatically becomes the deputy chairman.
“The electoral committee led by Dr. S.T Akintade reeled out the modalities for the elections and this was agreed by voice vote by the AGM. A list of registered delegates for the elective AGM was obtained by the electoral committee and the authenticity of the list was confirmed and agreed to by the generality of the AGM,” they posited.