By Adebayo Abubakar
He who murders peace is not like to know peace any more. That explains the situation of the beneficiary of the grossly flawed election of the 2024 Kwara NUJ Council election that was recently conducted.
Like he Dare Akogun always say, “the result does not matter to me, as much as the process”. From the integrity of the process, flows the credibility, legitimacy, and acceptability of the result.
It is unfortunate that the process of the election, as conducted by the Credentials Screening Committee (CSC) is integrity-deficient, hence we’ve activated the machinery of redress, within the framework of the NUJ constitution.
We not unaware of campaigns of calumny targeted at Akogun’s person, especially one written and captioned, “Dare Akogun, the limit of desperation”, by a faceless character, who styled him/herself, Sola Ashaolu. The said character is purportedly, a former staffer of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission of Nigeria (sic).
I wonder where such government agency is, or was located. Writing under a fictitious name, and a non-existent government agency: Is that not the height of desperation?
But we won’t dignify any of them with a response, as doing so would be undermining the machinery for a redress that is already in motion. If not keeping quiet, while the Credential Screening Committee raped democracy, is tagged desperation, I don’t give a damn.
But, I am at a loss as to how, and why supporters of a candidate who purportedly won an election will go to the length of commissioning a ghost writer to advertise this level desperation that reeks of lack of class and pedigree – campaigning after an election you’ve supposedly won?
Well if, insisting that the right thing be done as it is the practice in every society that lays a claim to being democratic is termed desperation, then I will join Dare Akogun to wear it like an Olympic medal – a badge of honour.
The desperation, by those who has held the NUJ in Kwara state for long, seeking an undeserved congratulatory message led to this level of desperation and a resort to reverse psychology. Gaslighting or subtle blackmail won’t clinch it either.
It is on record that, Dare Akogun sent congratulatory message within minutes of the current chairman being declared winner in 2021, and also took time out to attend his swearing-in ceremony. That was when the irregularities that characterised the process was within bearable limit.
But this time around, it was an insult to everything the Nigerian Union of Journalist stands for, Accountability, and integrity.
If insisting on adherence to the principles of democracy, anchored around the tripartite points credibility, freedom, and fairness becomes a crime, then I’m glad to plead guilty as charged with Dare Akogun.
The supporters of the current excos and it is fraudulently constituted and the ghost writers need to try harder than they currently are doing, for us to be cowed into submission to the outcome of the electoral heist committed on the 31st of July 2024.
American rapper Eminem in one of his numerous song says ‘Don’t touch what you can’t grab’ ‘Don’t start a battle you can’t finish’.
Adebayo Abubakar
Is the the Head of News and Current Affairs, Sobi FM Ilorin and Campaign DG for Dare Akogun in the 20245 Kwara NUJ election
