National President of NUJ, Mr Chris Isiguzo.
Ovedhe Hezekiah – Warri
Members of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Delta state council disrupted their own election on Thursday, following irreconcilable differences over the requirement for voting in the election.
The Dune learnt that there was disagreement during a pre- briefing on the election which was supposed to hold at St Patrick’s College, Asaba.
During the briefing, the South-South Secretary of NUJ, Dr Bassey Eyoh, was reported to have played a recorded voice of the National President, Mr Chris Isiguzo, where the president was heard giving directives that the NUJ identity card should not be used for the conduct of the election.
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This was contrary to an earlier directive in a letter sent to the Delta state council that the identity card should be used, members of the council said.
“After much arguments by both factions, the National President again sent a letter online through WhatsApp directing that the election be conducted with the NUJ ID card.”
“Supporters of one of the camps for the chairmanship position however resisted the directive and vowed that the election will not hold. They went further to destroy plastic tables that were supposed to be used for the election”, a delegate for the botched election told our correspondent.
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It took the intervention of the Police and men of the Department of State Security, DSS calm agitated supporters of the two contestants for chairmanship. However, the police have insisted that the two contesting camps must sign a peace pact before the election can be held.
Meanwhile, delegates for the election were seated throughout the day at the St. Patrick’s College in Asaba before Police, DSS and NUJ representative who went to the State Commissioner of Police to deliberate on the matter came back to inform them that the decision in the letter from the National Secretariat be followed and NUJ ID card be used for the election but supporters of Comrade Churchill Oyowe Price, rejected the decision.
However, crisis from the suspended election has continued unabated following two parallel directives emanating from the National Secretary of the union and, the union’s South-South Secretary.
Delta state council is under the South-South zone.
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In a letter, the South-South zonal secretary, Dr Bassey Eyoh, set up a- seven member caretaker committee to run the affairs of the Delta state council pending the election of the state officers.
In another letter, National Secretary of the union, Shuaibu Usman, instructs chapel chairmen and secretaries to set up a caretaker committee for the council.
The letter adds that “the caretaker committee set up by Zone F is not recognised by the national secretariat.
