FCT NUJ Council election: Group raises the alarm over National President’s plot to impose Chairman on members

*Warns against breach of constitutional provision

By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja

A group of concerned journalists at the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Abuja has raised the alarm over what it called the ‘move by the National President of the Nigeria of the Union, Mr Chris Isiguzo to foment a constitutional crisis in the in Council’.

The group, while addressing a press conference through its Coordinator, Mr Emeka Nze on Tuesday in Abuja, frowned at the various roles being placed by the NUJ President in the build up to the forthcoming election of the FCT Council of the Union.

The FCT Council election, barring any last minute change, is scheduled to hold in the first week of December, 2024.

The group specifically called on the NUJ National President, Chris to tow the path of caution and listen to the voice of reasons, by rescinding the ill-advised pursuit to impose his preferred person on the leadership of the FCT council without allowing the constitutional criteria to be followed.

The group of concerned journalists called on the National President, of the NUJ to, in conjunction with the FCT leadership of the Union, convene an emergency stakeholders meeting involving aspirants to the contested position, former NUJ, FCT Council Chairmen, and aspirants’ legal counsels to deliberate on all petitions written to the National Secretariat by all parties concerned, on this matter, with a view to arriving at a constitutionally allowed outcome.

The illegal Credentials Committee foisted on the FCT Council, the group said, should be disbanded until the above suggestion is concluded.

Continuing, the group said, ” henceforth, Mr Henry Umoru, who is evidently the National President’s executioner in his desperate bid to foist a candidate on the Council rescinds his illegal and egoistic foray of parading himself as the Chairman of the Kangaroo, Unconstitutional and Criminal Credentials Committee which was hastily created to handover the Council to the highest bidder.

“That he, Henry Umoru, a staff of the Vanguard Newspaper, is a well known Journalist but unqualified member of the Union whom according to Article 3(1 and 2) continues to parade himself, in flagrant violation of Article 3 of the NUJ Constitution, hence is best described as a quack with no locus standi to be a member of any credentials committee to screen Aspirants to the leadership of any such professional body.

“That the presence of Henry Umoru, or any such as him who are in violation of Article 3 or 4 or any section of the constitution, is akin to having thugs take over the Body of Benchers in the Nigerian Judiciary, or the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) where crucial, sensitive and critical decisions regarding these Professional bodies are made.

“That, notwithstanding whatever promises he had made to deliver whoever Aspirant to Head the Council, the National President, Chris Isiguzo, and his Associates at the National Secretariat of the Union, should henceforth desist from his unnecessary interference in the Affairs of the FCT Council, and should as a matter of fact, become a passive Observer until when called upon by the provisions of Necessary and Relevant Sections of the Union’s Constitution.

“And he must act within the ambience of the Constitution and in fairness and balance to all parties involved”, it said.

Going down the memory lane, the group of concerned journalists said, “We are not unaware of the fact that all these measures to destabilize the committee at the Council level were to pave the way for the mastermind who orchestrated the plot, President Isiguzo to take over the process using the National Secretariat as alibi.

“This brazen illegality, which is tantamount to setting aside the grundnorm upon which the Union is built, was thereafter challenged by the leadership of the FCT Council in a petition to the National Secretariat.

The petition duly signed by the duo of the council Chairman and the secretary detailed the unhealthy and unprecedented interference of Isiguzo and his lankeys at the National Secretariat, in the smooth operation and runnings of the FCT council.

“Whilst the petitioners, for the sake of peace, unity and stabilization of the union, chose a large heart to give the credentials committee a chance to midwife the election for a new set of executives for the council, they, invoking their constitutional powers, called the attention of the National President and those walking with him on this path to relevant provisions of the Constitution that would ensure a rancour free exercise.

“Particularly, the petition stressed on the need of ensuring that only Journalists allowed by Article 3, 4 and 6 of the Constitution which set out the qualification for membership of the Union are allowed into the credentials committee to ensure fairness, excellence, merit and most importantly, to uphold the professionalism of Journalism not only in the FCT, but in Nigeria as well.

“The Council’s petition to the National Secretariat which in effect was a response to an earlier petition from the Isiguzo administration’s unconstitutional sack of some members of the Credentials Committee in favour of three persons (Henry Umoru, Elizabeth Atte and Sarah Osugbo) who are to do his biddings of installing his preferred person to Head the council; detailed the absence of relevant academic qualifications in line with Article 3 of the constitution, as violation of the requirements for membership of the committee.

“More petitions from the other Aspirants for the Chairmanship seat Viz; JohnChuks Onuanyim, Victorson Agbenson, and another from a concerned Journalist – Mr Emeka Nzeh, of Blueprint Newspaper, Abuja, further called the attention of the National President to the looming crisis that is being created by his ill-guided decision to trample the NUJ constitution under his foot in his desperate attempt to fulfill what seems as a promise made to impose unqualified aspirants in flagrant violation of the rules guiding the NUJ.

“At this point in our efforts to remain law abiding members of the union in the FCT, we, as Concerned Bonafide Journalists practicing in the City call on;

the National President, Chris Isiguzo to tow the path of caution and listen to the voice of reasons, by rescinding the ill-advised pursuit to impose a preferred person on the leadership of the FCT council without allowing the constitutional criteria be followed”, it said.