New Oyo NUJ Chairman emerges amidst litigation

By Gbenro Adesina

In an election conducted on Wednesday December 18, 2019 to elect new executive members for the Oyo Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Mr Ademola Babalola has emerged as Chairman of the union.

He was, along with his team, sworn in to steer the ship of the union for the next three years.

In the election, Babalola polled 179 votes to defeat his opponent, Adewumi Faniran of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, who polled six votes.

Faniran, who is the outgoing chairman, and his supporters boycotted the election which they felt had been compromised even before its conduct.

Others who emerged winners in the election included Olusola Oladapo, who scored 175 votes to defeat the incumbent secretary, Bola Ogunlayi who got 10 vote; Akeem Abas defeated the incumbent Treasurer, Busola Adetunji to emerge Treasurer; Abiodun Atitola emerged unopposed as Financial Secretary and Daud Aderogba emerged unopposed as Assistant Secretary.

Announcing the result of the election, Senior Assistant National Secretary of NUJ, Mr. Gbemiga Bamidele said all the elected officers emerged having satisfied the electoral process by scoring the highest number of votes in the election.

The grouse of Faniran and his supporters against the new chairman bothers on the eligibility of Babalola to contest the election.

They claimed Babalola was not qualified to contest the chairmanship of the Union.

According to a letter written by Silverline Solicitor, a legal consultant, arbitrator and conflict manager, signed by Oluwadamilare Awokoya, Faniran opined that Babalola failed to meet the requirements stipulated in the Union’s Constitution to contest for the position of chairmanship of the union.

The letter addressed to the National Secretary of NUJ and copied the Editor of Punch Newspaper, was dated December 17, 2019 and titled, “Re: Provisional Report, Call for the intervention of the National President and National Secretary against the candidature of Mr Ademola Babalola in pursuant to Article 7 (2) (v) of the constitution of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ”.

The letter claimed that Babalola was not a member of NUJ, stating that Babalola contested the position in 2016 as a staff of ThisDay Newspaper and afterward, resigned and joined the Punch Newspaper.

Faniran and his supporters have also approached the National Industrial Court, NIC siting in Ibadan to ask the court to determine the eligibility of Babalola in the election he contested and won.

Prior to the election, Oluwakayode Banjo and others in the camp of Faniran filed a Motion Exparte against Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ and seven others, in a suit no. NIC/IB/91/2019 asking the court to restrain the election pending the determination of a suit in respect of the election.

However, based on the information the counsel to the applicants gave the court that the election had been postponed, the Presiding Judge, Justice J. D. Peters said that there was nothing to restrain again.

He, therefore, rejected and dismissed the prayer of the applicants to restrain the election.

Justice Peters ordered that the status quo of the state NUJ Council be maintained and adjourned the case to January 14, 2020 to hear the pending application.

Justice Peters further ordered that hearing notice must be issued and served on the respondents with proof in the file.