Ahead of the forthcoming Triennial Delegates Conference of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja Council, scheduled for December 4, 2024, notable members of the Council have called for the disqualification of two members of the Credential Committee elected for the exercise.
The aggrieved members, drawn from various chapels, submitted a petition dated November 1, 2024, addressed to the National President of the Union, alleging that Mr. Sola Akingboye, a publisher and editor-in-chief, and Mr. Peter Asemokhai are unfit to serve on the Credentials Committee.
The petition, signed by Comrades Kehinde Akintola of the Correspondent Chapel and Umoru Alexander Ojonugwa of the Information Chapel, stated that “Mr. Peter, who wants to lead the Credentials Committee, has never attended congress even once and hasn’t paid his check-up dues as a member; however, there are indications that the secretary of the council is allegedly planning to raise receipts and ID cards for them.”
According to the petitioners, “the aforementioned persons are in breach of Article 3, Subsection 3(b & d); Article 4, Subsections (2a), (2b), and 5A (9e), among others.”
One of the petitioners underscored the need to “continue to consolidate on the gains of the current administration and protect the integrity of our constitution, which must be sacrosanct,” alleging that Mr. Akingboye’s status as a publisher of RegentAfrica Times renders him “unqualified to be one of the umpires of the December Triennial Delegates Conference of Abuja Council.”
The petitioners warned that “such infractions will cause incalculable harm to the image of the Union, the integrity of our constitution, as well as the credibility of the entire electoral process.” They stated, “Mr. Akingboye should NOT, in good conscience, be allowed to be the proverbial black dent on the clean sheet of our great Union.”
“Simply put, his membership of this all-important committee is in flagrant contravention of Article 3, Subsection 3(b) and (d).
“3(b) states that: ‘Associate members shall have the right to attend and speak at meetings of the Union, but shall not vote or be voted for.’
“(d) states: ‘Media owners and employers, as recognized by the Trade Unions Act, such as online media owners, local/community newspaper publishers, among others, shall not be members of the Union.’
The petitioners further argued that, “Mr Akingboye is even in deficit of the basic requirements of the constitution as stipulated in Article 4, Subsections (2a), (2b), and 5A(9e), which state that:
(2a) ‘A member shall be disqualified from acting as a delegate or representative of a Chapel at any meeting of the Union or from benefiting from the Union in any other manner if his checks-off and practicing fees have not been fully paid.’
According to them, “(2b) An Associate Member and duly certificated journalist shall pay an annual professional fee of N20,000.00 (Twenty Thousand Naira) only, or as may be fixed by the National Executive Council (NEC).
“5A(9e) – Membership of the Credentials Committee shall be drawn from among members of the Union in good financial standing who have no intention to vie for offices in the said elections.”
“It will interest you to know that the nomination of Mr Sola Akingboye contravenes the provisions of Article 6, Subsections 7e and 7f, which stipulate that:
“(7e). ‘Only members who have fully paid their check-off dues and practicing or professional fees and have been so certified shall be considered to be in good financial standing.’
“(7f). ‘To qualify, an aspirant and the sponsors must have attended at least 50% of meetings of the State Council and Chapel within the period between Conferences, backed up with records of previous Union activities. For those on redeployment, records of their Union activities at their previous places of work and Councils shall count in their favour.’”
To this end, the petitioners urged the NUJ National President to “use your good offices to protect our constitution which you swore to protect.
“That Mr. Akingboye and his ilk and cohorts must be stopped from denting the image of the Union.
“That Mr. Akingboye and the sentiment he represents be uprooted from the fabrics of the Union and that he be disciplined.
“That Mr Akingboye be disqualified and summarily removed from the Committee to also serve as a deterrent for others who may be nursing the nefarious ambition of bringing the Union into disrepute before right-thinking members of the public.”
In a related development, a group of petitioners also called for the disqualification of Mr Peter Asemokhai as a member of the NUJ FCT Council Credentials Committee, because “his nomination and consequent membership is in flagrant contravention of the provisions of the Constitution of the Union.”
“Evidently, Mr. Peter Asemokhai did not meet the requirements as provided in Article 4, Subsections (2a), (2b), and 5A (9e) of the Constitution, which states inter alia:
“(2a) ‘A member shall be disqualified from acting as a delegate or representative of a Chapel at any meeting of the union or from benefiting from the union in any other manner if his checks-off and practicing fees have not been fully paid.’
“(2b). ‘An Associate Member and duly certificated journalist shall pay an annual professional fee of N20,000.00 (Twenty Thousand Naira) only, or as may be fixed by the National Executive Council (NEC).
“5A (9e) Membership of the Credentials Committee shall be drawn from among members of the union in good financial standing who have no intention to vie for offices in the said elections.’ Mr. Asemokhai, for all intents and purposes, has fallen short of the provisions of the union’s constitution.
“Disqualifying him forthwith, in my view, should be inevitable to continue to protect the integrity of the Union.”
The petitioners also alleged that Mr Asemokhai is in breach of Article 6, subsection 7(f), which stipulates that: “To qualify, an aspirant and the sponsors must have attended at least 50% of meetings of the State Council and Chapel within the period between Conferences, backed up with records of previous Union activities. For those on redeployment, records of their Union activities at their previous places of work and Councils shall count in their favour.”
“Considering the above misdemeanours on the part of Mr. Peter Asemokhai, I am competent to say that he is not in good financial standing and did not meet the 50% Congress attendance as required by the constitution.
“In view of the obvious encumbrances suffered by Mr Asemokhai, it is my considered view that he be disqualified without further delay so that he does not, either because of his own ignorance, negligence, or mischief, drag the name of our great union in the mud,” the petition reads in part.
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