By Toyeeb Omotayo
The National Industrial Court has transferred the contentious case regarding the Kwara State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) election, initially slated for Abuja, to the Ibadan Judicial Division. The hearing is set to begin on October 29, 2024, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The case, filed by aggrieved Kwara Council members, seeks to challenge the legitimacy of the union’s July 31, 2024 election, which they allege was tainted by constitutional breaches and fraudulent activities. Prominent NUJ figures named as respondents include the outgoing NUJ President, Chris Isiguzo, Vice President (North Central) Chris Atsaka, National Secretary Achike Chude, Kwara Council Chair Abdulateef ‘Lanre Ahmed, and the Credentials Committee Chair and Secretary, Badamosi Abdul-Hameed Alaiye and Sulaiman Jimoh Gobir, respectively.
In the suit, numbered NICN/IL/08/2024, the plaintiffs argue that the National Secretariat altered the delegate list unconstitutionally, without the input of chapels, and are calling for the July 31 election’s annulment.
They are also urging the court to halt any further NUJ elections until the case concludes.
The plaintiffs’ counsel, Barrister Issa Manzuma, referenced a similar 2022 ruling in his petition, in which the National Industrial Court ruled that the NUJ National Executive lacked the authority to disqualify candidates without due process.
Manzuma argued that the National Secretariat’s handling of the Kwara NUJ election disregarded this precedent, raising concerns over transparency within the union.
A prominent candidate in the disputed election, Abdullahi Dare Akogun, has publicly condemned the electoral process, labeling it a “shambolic and a kangaroo” exercise.
Akogun raised concerns that printed voters’ identities on ballot papers undermined the secrecy of the vote, a fundamental democratic principle.
Furthermore, Akogun has alleged intimidation and harassment of his supporters, co-claimants, and legal representative by Abdullahi Olesin, the Kwara State correspondent for Leadership newspapers, whom he claims is an ally of the defendants.
Akogun also reported in an August 3 letter to the Central Working Committee (CWC) that a Director in the State Ministry of Information issued veiled threats, suggesting that individual votes could be traced, further undermining the integrity of the election.
The lawsuit details numerous allegations, including voter list manipulation, disenfranchisement, and inducements, which have sparked broader questions about transparency and governance in the union.
This case, which coincides with the impending National Delegates’ Conference in Owerri next month, brings attention to key democratic values such as secret balloting and fair representation that the NUJ advocates for as a journalistic body.
