New dates, November 30 and December 1st, 2022 have been announced for the Abia Town Hall Summit for Governorship and National Assembly candidates in the 2023 General Elections.

Chief Convener of the Summit, Online Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria OMPAN Abia on Monday explained that the event was rescheduled in order to perfect logistics and tactical plans even as fourteen governorship and many National Assembly candidates confirmed their participation.

In a Press Statement, Chairman of OMPAN Abia ,Chief Paddy Anyatonwu explained that the Summit date was extended by ten days in order to accommodate all the Governorship and National Assembly candidates whose confirmation of participation came after arrangements for earlier confirmation had been concluded.

OMPAN and other civil society organisations proposed the Summit in order to provide a formal platform for candidates of political parties to share their mission, vision and motives for seeking elective political offices from Abians and the general public

Chief Anyatonwu explained that the difference between the Town Hall interface and the open air campaigns is that the atmosphere of the Town Hall session would provide Abians and the general public opportunity to closely interrogate the candidates by asking specific questions and seeking clarifications how they would implement their proposed manifesto and campaigns promises.

“The campaigns in the open is more like carnivals with party supporters singing and dancing. And the people do not get the opportunity to ask questions of those seeking elective offices, but during the town session, the candidates would provide explanations how they would execute the proposals in their manifesto, and their campaigns promises”, Chief Anyatonwu stated

Detailed breakdown of the new dates are as follows:
DATE: (National Assembly candidates)

• Wed, Nov 30, 2022

TIME:

• 9 am – 1Pm
• 2pm – 6pm

DATE: (Governorship candidates)

• Thursday, Dec 1, 2022

TIME: 9 am

VENUE

• Damgrete Royal Hotel, Umuahia

The Town Hall sessions would be broadcast live on radio stations across Abia and over 34 Online newspaper platforms reaching millions of Abians world wide.