By Omotayo Toyeeb
A chairmanship candidate in the recent Kwara State Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) election, Abdullahi Dare Akogun has formally lodged a complaint with the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the union.
He is seeking the nullification of the election results and the intervention of the State Executive Council (SEC) to oversee the council’s affairs until a new election can be conducted.
In a letter dated August 3, 2024, and addressed to the CWC through the National Secretary, Akogun detailed multiple violations of the NUJ Constitution, alleging fraud and irregularities during the council election held on July 31, 2024.
Akogun’s complaint centers on the inclusion of voters’ identities, such as chapel affiliations, names, and serial numbers on the ballot papers. He argues that this severely compromised the principle of a secret ballot guaranteed by the NUJ Constitution, thus undermining the integrity and fairness of the electoral process.
Furthermore, Akogun claimed that many bona fide and financial members were excluded from participating in the election through a doctored delegates’ list.
This alleged disenfranchisement reportedly affected members from the correspondent chapel, federal and state information chapels, and the Unilorin chapel, raising serious concerns about the credibility of the voters’ list.
He also alleged that a director in the state Ministry of Information (name withheld) threatened voters, particularly civil servants, with job loss if they did not vote for a particular candidate, asserting that their votes could be traced back to them.
Invoking Article 5, Section 10, and Article 7, Section 2(vi) of the NUJ Constitution, which allow aggrieved candidates to challenge election outcomes within 21 days, Akogun urged the committee to review these issues dispassionately and take necessary actions to ensure justice and fairness in the electoral process.
