*Declares Process Illegal
Taiye Joseph, Ilorin
The National Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), has nullified the election conducted by the Correspondents Chapel of the Kwara State Council, describing it as illegal and a clear violation of the union’s constitution.
In a letter issued from Abuja on Tuesday and signed by the NUJ National Secretary, Achike Chude, the National Secretariat, stated that the election was held without the supervision of the Kwara State Council, contrary to the provisions of the union’s constitution.
According to the statement, the Chapel went ahead with the election despite unresolved disagreements with the Council over modalities for the poll, an action the Secretariat said “amounted to a breach and a departure from the NUJ’s governing laws.”
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“The National Secretariat therefore declares the holding of the election into the Correspondents Chapel of the Kwara State Council as illegal, unlawful, and in violation of extant provisions of the NUJ constitution,” the letter stated.
“All the powers allegedly conferred on the ‘new leadership’ of the Chapel are fictitious and non-existent. The executives that purportedly emerged from that process were not validly chosen and are to refrain from parading themselves as such.”
Chude explained that the NUJ constitution clearly empowers state councils to supervise elections of chapels, citing Articles 4(17), 5E(3a), F(5), and 6(6) of the union’s constitution.
He faulted the Correspondents Chapel for acting unilaterally after forwarding its grievances to the National Secretariat, saying it should have awaited the union’s intervention before taking any action.
“Two wrongs do not make a right. Even if, in the imagination of the Chapel, the Council was wrong, there was no justification to flout the law on a matter already referred to the National Secretariat for adjudication,” Chude stated.
He, however, acknowledged that while the Credentials Committee that conducted the disputed election was validly constituted, it would only continue its work under the supervision and administrative authority of the Kwara State Council.
The National Secretary appealed to elders and outgoing leaders of the Chapel to cooperate with the National Secretariat and the Council to restore order and ensure a fresh, constitutionally recognised election.
He assured members that the National Secretariat remained open to addressing all grievances raised by the Chapel, including issues of member recognition on the NUJ portal, provided such matters were handled within the bounds of the union’s constitution.
