Revealed: Ousted NUJ President-Odusile Precipitating Crisis In The Union

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – There are clear indications that some elements within the Nigeria Union of Journalists are fighting hard to precipitate leadership crisis for the Comrade Chris Isiguzo-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the Union.

At the forefront of the group trying to create unwarranted crisis is the immediate past National President of the NUJ, Mr. Waheed Odusile, who lost elections he conducted at Abeokuta, Ogun State in October 2018.

It was gathered that Odusile’s major grouse is hinged on the fact that the NUJ National Secretariat wrote withdrawing his membership of the Board of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulating Agency (PPPRA), having completed his tenure as President of the NUJ.

Further checks revealed that when Waheed Odusile took over as President of the NUJ, his predecessor, Mallam Mohammed Garba immediately relinquished the membership of the Board as was the practice. However, Odusile, who is in the know that the position is meant for the sitting President of the NUJ, refused to hand-over to his successor, Mr. Chris Iziguzo more than six months after he lost election and continued attending the PPPRA Board meetings, a development that warranted the National Secretariat of the Union to write the PPPRA for a formal take-over in line with the provisions of the Act that established it since the position is reserved for the President of the NUJ as a member.

Odusile, whose three years tenure was marked with inactivity and lack of direction for the NUJ, sees it differently and accordingly commenced attacks on different fronts against his successor. First, was his encouraging some factional members of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), to violate the provisions of the NUJ’s constitution as well as urged them to disobey the directive of the National Secretariat of the NUJ which he once led.

The NUJ had directed the two factions in SWAN to put a hold on their Triennial Delegates Conference pending an amicable resolution of the crisis within.

Not done, Odusile again, commenced an already tested, tried and resolved issue by the 2018 NUJ Credentials Committee of the NUJ which he personally handpicked to conduct the Abeokuta Triennial Delegates Conference, saying that the current National President of the NUJ, Comrade Chris Isiguzo was not qualified to have contested the 2018 NUJ elections, alleging that he contested and won the election with forged academic qualification.

However, a member of Odusile’s group that are up in arms against the current NUJ President, who is currently the Vice President, Zone ‘C’ Comrade Petrus Obi, had written the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State demanding the confirmation or otherwise of the Diploma Certificate Isiguzo submitted as part of his credentials to the NIJ when he contested for the office of Vice President Zone ‘C’ in 2015 as well as for the position of National President in 2018.

As part of his further action, Odusile has now gone to the National Industrial Court, Abuja challenging the election of Isiguzo on the basis of his Diploma Certficate.

Curiously, Petrus Obi and Ngozi Agbo had instituted the same case and subject matter against the NUJ and Isiguzo before the National Industrial Court, Enugu, which has commenced hearing of the suit.

Obi in his official capacity as Vice President of the NUJ, wrote to the Registrar of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko to confirm the National Diploma certificate presented by Isiguzo to the screening committee set up by the former President of NUJ, Waheed Odusile.

Petrus Obi’s letter read in part; “The NUJ South East Zone C of which he (Isiguzo) belongs as a member is desirous of investigating the said certificate and hereby attaches the already submitted notification of result for your confirmation and certification (See the notification of result as attached).”

But in his response, the Registrar of the Federal Polytechnic Oko, Ofulume Chike Esq, confirmed that Isiguzo graduated from the institution adding that the Diploma Certificate he presented was duly issued by the institution.

The Registrar’s response reads in part; “Re-Confirmation of Notification of Result in Respect of One Mr Chris Isiguzo Ikechukwu.

“We refer to your letter dated 20th July 2019 and write to confirm that the National Diploma Notification of result in Mass Communication with CGPA 2.86 (Lower Credit) issued December, 1998 in respect of the above named person is genuine.”

In spite of the confirmation by the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra state Petrus Obi and Ngozi Agbo still went ahead to attach Isiguzo’s confirmation of result as an alibi in their affidavit in the suit they filed at the National Industrial Court, Enugu and later followed by Waheed Odusile at the same court of coordinate jurisdiction in Abuja. This move is seen by public commentators as having defiled logic and legality.

Odusile in his desperation to return to office contrary to the provisions of the NUJ constitution, is asking the National Industrial Court, Abuja to declare him winner of the 2018 NUJ National Delegates’ Conference election just as the duo of Obi and Agbo are equally praying the Enugu Division of the same court to disqualify Isiguzo over alleged non-qualification and swear in the runners up in the election in spite of the letter from the institution confirming the authenticity of the result.

Concerned members of the Union want the Central Working Committee and the National Working Committee of the NUJ to as a matter of national importance take a bold step to halt the attempt by trio of Waheed Odusile, Petrus Obi and Ngozi Agbo to pull the NUJ down owing to personal difference over an election that was won and lost.