14th September 2024.
Comrade Omotayo Ayanda, the immediate past Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara State Council, has strongly condemned acts of impunity in the recent Kwara NUJ election.
According to Ayanda, speaking out is necessary to put an end to the impunity and constitutional violations that have plagued the union from the national level down to the local level and to restore the union’s integrity.
In a conversation with journalists in Ilorin yesterday, Ayanda described the 2024 Kwara Council election as the worst in the history of the union.
He revealed that the election process was riddled with irregularities, fraud, and non-compliance with the union’s constitution.
Ayanda cited specific instances, including the unconstitutional letter seeking approval of the credentials screening committee by the Council Chairman, Abdullateef ‘Lanre Ahmed, and the then Assistant Secretary, Yinka Alaya, without the consent of other executive members. “When I, as the council secretary, raised the issue with the National Secretariat, the National President, Chief Chris Isiguzo, refused to address the illegality, insisting that the decision could not be reversed,” Ayanda said.
Ayanda further criticized the leadership of the union for disenfranchising qualified members by replacing their names with those of unqualified individuals to favor certain candidates in the election.
“Can you imagine, in an election, qualified members who duly paid all necessary dues were not allowed to exercise their franchise? In fact, the immediate past Chairman, Mall Umar Abdulwahab, and many other eminently qualified members were not allowed to vote,” Ayanda added.
He highlighted a particularly shocking case where an entire chapel was disenfranchised despite having paid substantial fees. He stressed that the implications of the National President’s actions could lead to a situation where all Federal Information Chapels across the Federation would be forced to pay N60,000 as dues before participating in any Council or National elections, without any guarantee of their participation.
Ayanda argued that Isiguzo’s actions have set a dangerous precedent, and if not corrected now, the future of the union is at risk.
Moreover, Ayanda criticized the electoral committee for further compromising the integrity of the election by revealing voters’ identities on the ballot papers, a clear violation of the union’s constitutional requirement for secret ballots.
He lamented that the union, which should be a defender of democracy and the voice of society, has exposed itself to public ridicule by failing to uphold the very principles it advocates.
The former Scribe reiterated that his position on the recent development in the Council is driven by a commitment to ensuring that the union returns to its core values and that history will judge them favorably for standing up against these wrongs.
Reflecting on his time as Secretary, Ayanda emphasized the importance of maintaining a good name and acting with integrity, warning against the pursuit of personal gain at the expense of collective interests. He stressed that the repercussions of the actions taken during the Kwara NUJ election may not be immediate, but they will catch up with those responsible in the future, even beyond the NUJ.
“You may think that you have forced yourselves on members, but you should not forget that you are writing your history. One day, your history book will be opened against you, even beyond the NUJ. We have heard stories of our past leaders whose actions while in position later stood against them. It is just a matter of time,” he said.
In conclusion, Ayanda called for an end to the politics of bitterness, tribalism, and favoritism within the union. He urged members to unite for the progress and restoration of the union’s lost glory, doing things the right way to secure a better future, even as he promised to continue to contribute his quota to the progress and development of the union.
