The National Industrial Court, sitting in Ibadan, has upheld the election of Mr Soji Amosu as the duly elected Chairman of Ogun State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Also, the court, in suit number NICN/IB/85/2019, affirmed the election of Kunle Olayeni as the Vice Chairman, Kunle Ewuoso as the Secretary and Abiodun Taiwo as the Assistant Secretary of the NUJ in Ogun.
DAILY POST reports that the union had been enmeshed in crisis over the election conducted in 2019.
A faction of the union in Ogun State had petitioned the National Chairman of the NUJ, Chris Iziguzo, complaining about the conduct of the election.
Consequent upon this, the NUJ President had dissolved the leadership of the state council by annuling the election of the applicants, saying it was not in line with Article 5, Paragraph 10 of the union’s constitution.
But Amosu and his colleagues dragged the NUJ before the National Industrial Court to challenge the dissolution of the union’s leadership in Ogun State.
In his judgement on Wednesday, the presiding judge, Justice J. D. Peters, said the annulment of the claimant’s March 29, 2019 election was illegal, stressing that it was and against the NUJ constitution.
Justice Peters also granted seven out of the eight reliefs sought by the claimants, while awarding a cost of N200,000 against the defendants.
The court ruled that the meeting held by the NUJ National Working Committee, where the purported annulment of the claimants’ election was done was illegal, null and void.
“This court found merit in seven out of the eight prayers of the claimants, and I hereby rule that the annulment of their election is null and void,” the judge declared.
While alluding to the fact that the National Working Committee of the union has the constitutional power to act on complaints arising from an election within 21 days, it said that “the Central Working Committee did not take the steps required until after 37 clear days from the date of the election complained of.”
