NUJ 2024 Triennial Credentials Committee In Quagmire As Member Resigns In Protest Over Manipulation 

The members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists Credentials Committee for the 8th Triennial Delegates Conference, tagged; “Owerri, Imo State 2024”, are presently in a frenzy and quagmire, following the resignation of one of the members of the Committee on Friday, 18, October 2024.

The member, it was authoritatively gathered, resigned in protest over what he considered as the meddlesomeness, dictation and manipulation of the Committee by the out-going president, Christopher Ikechukwu Isiguzo like never experienced before in the history of the Union.

Isiguzo had boasted severally and also told members of the Committee that he is the president and everything stops at his table in spite of the clear provisions of the NUJ Constitution.

Article 5 (9C) of the Constitution of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) states; “The Credentials Committee at the national level shall act independently of the President, National Secretary, and any other National Officers, while the Credential Committee at the State level shall be independent of State officers of the Union but shall be responsible and answerable to the National Secretariat”.

It was gathered the member of the Committee who was no longer comfortable with the way Isiguzo was tele-guiding, dictating and manipulating the decisions of the Committee, had to throw in the towel by resigning on Friday, 18th October, stressing that his conscience would no longer allow him to continue with such outright and brazen injustice being carried out by Isiguzo using the Chairman of the Committee, UV Adegbite, who Chris Isiguzo insisted on serving in the Committee against the decision of the Zone ‘B’ leaders that met and elected the Secretary of NUJ Oyo State Council to serve in the Committee.

Significantly, the out-going NUJ President single handedly nominated each member of the 9-member committee of the Credentials Committee and directed the Vice Presidents of the zones to present them at the Zoom NEC meeting he called in August this year to take critical decisions for the Union.

The member of the Credentials Committee, after tendering his resignation letter, was prevented from leaving the National Secretariat of the NUJ on Friday for some times as Chris Isiguzo and some members of the committee tried to prevail on him to reconsider his decision as it would cast serious aspersion that would completely dent the entire process which a lot of members of the Union are already not comfortable with.

The aggrieved member told them that he cannot in all honesty and good conscience continue with the Committee that is not abiding by the rules and provisions of the Constitution but, more interested in attacking and targeting certain aspirants that were perceived not to be comfortable with certain practices within the Union.

Isiguzo had to later follow the aggrieved member to his hotel room to further pacify him not to resign and also followed-up with calls to his State Council Chairman and close friends of his to assist in pacifying him to withdraw his resignation.

It was also gathered that the out-going president, and the Chairman of the Committee are deliberately orchestrating and sponsoring petitions from State Councils against some aspirants and confronting the aspirants with such petitions only when they appear before the Committee contrary to the provisions of the Union’s Constitution.

More worrisome to the aggrieved member was the fact that a petition against an aspirant for the position of Deputy President, Abimbola Oyetunde from Edo State, stating that she is a General Manager of a Station and more importantly, was not attending Congress meetings of the Edo State Council of the NUJ, was not tabled for consideration by the Chairman and Secretary of the Committee that the petitions were addressed to and when confronted with the facts, the Chairman of the Committee, Mike Ikeogwu and another Isiguzo hit man, Leke Adegbite merely brushed it aside, but the same persons are using the same attendance at meetings against other aspirants thereby using two rules for members of the Union.

Findings indicated that Isiguzo told Mike Ikeogwu that all the opponents to Oyetunde must not be allowed to scale through the qualification test of the Committee as fillers out there clearly indicate that it would be difficult for her to win the election if the contest is thrown open.

It was also gathered that the Chairman of the Committee does not allow the meetings of the Committee to kick start until the outing-going president gets to the secretariat, as every decision must be taken to him for vetting and final approval irrespective of the resolution of the committee on matters including those arrived at through majority votes.

Another member of the committee (who does not want to be mentioned in print), said once Mike Ikeogwu, the Chairman of the Committee goes into the president’s office and returns to the meeting, he would announce a different decision that is not in tandem with the collective decision of the members of the Committee.

The Committee member said; “I also felt like resigning but, want to still watch what they are doing. It is really not good. Our committee is not in any way independent at all. The president is in-charge of the work of the committee. That I can tell you. It is sad and not good for the Union.”

The final list of cleared candidates which was expected to have been published on 16th October, in line with the time table released by the Committee, is yet to be concluded as a result of the manipulation and disagreement of some members of the Committee with the dictatorship of the outgoing president.