The National Industrial Court sitting in Ibadan on Wednesday affirmed the election of Comrade Soji Amosu as the duly elected Chairman of Ogun State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
The Court in suit number NICN/IB/85/2019, also affirmed the election of Comrades Kunle Olayeni, Kunle Ewuoso and Abiodun Taiwo as Vice Chairman, Secretary and assistant secretary respectively
Reading the judgement the Presiding Judge, Justice J.D Peters said the annulment of election held on March 29th 2019 is illegal and against the constitution of Nigeria Union of Journalists.
The presiding judge, Justice J. D. Peters, also while granting the requests of the applicants also awarded a cost of Two hundred thousand against the respondents.
He ruled that the meeting held by the National working Committee of NUJ where the illegal annulment was done was illegal null and void.
” This court found merit in seven out of the eight prayers of the claimants, and I hereby ruled that the annulment of their election is null and void.
It could be recalled that four executive of the Ogun NUJ had dragged its national president Chris Isiguzo before a National Industrial Court sitting in Ibadan over the dissolution of the states’ leadership.
The president of NUJ has said the committee dissolved the newly elected leadership of the Ogun State council in line with Article 5, Paragraph 10 of the union’s constitution.
“The election was not just nullified. There were series of petitions and the report of the national officers that supervised the election corroborated the contents of the petitions. In fact, one of the national officers said he was held hostage at the election venue.” Isiguzo said.
However, the claimants disagreed with the president, stating that the election was fair, free and transparent as it was supervised by the national officers of the union.
The Ogun state NUJ chairman, Soji Amosu, was one of the four claimants who sought for restraining order against the national president from conducting fresh election into the offices managed by them.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ogun State Council, Comrade Soji Amosu has reacted to the Wednesday ruling of the National Industrial Court sitting in Ibadan.
Addressing the Press at the Iwe-Iroyin, Oke Ilewo Abeokuta, Comrade Amosu said the mandate given to the team about two years ago was freely given based on the faith the members had in the Executive to turn the fortune of the Union.
He said, “Dear comrades, our resolve to toe the line of Justice is not about any of the four of us, but about our Union.
“We saw the annulment as negating the ideals of the founding fathers of this great Union, a disservice to the expectations of the general public and an anti people and the only way to correct the misdemeanor is to approach the court.
“Gentlemen, like I said, the fight was not about Soji Amosu, or any of us, but to protect the sanctity of the constitution of our Union. NUJ is a creation of law, lawlessness or godfatherism is anti people, and no Society or organization succeed in an atmosphere of lawlessness or rancour, but with today’s victory, let’s come together and build a Union where everybody will have equal right and share our ideals, pains and successes together.
“Comrades, Ogun NUJ must be reawakened, we must work as a team to salvage it. The state of our secretariat has become a serious eyesore, it needs urgent rehabilitation and repair, we must redeem it and return it to its lost glory.
“The Secretariat is for journalists, and not drunkard or people of easy virtues, and as your representatives, we are going to work on how to bring sanity back to Our Secretariat.
“Ogun NUJ is for all of us, let’s bury the hatchet and forge ahead, three years is around the corner, we are all co labourers in this task of service. This is our Union, your Union and my Union, we will remain in it and salvage it together. We can do it, and we will surely do it. This is our pledge, and on this we want to be assessed”.
