The newly-elected executive members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, has issued a disclaimer notice on its immediate past Chairman, Adewumi Faniran.
NUJ Secretary, Comrade Sola Oladapo, in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Tuesday, frowned at the antics of the erstwhile chairman aimed at causing crisis in the Union.
DAILY POST recalls that the NUJ election, which was held on Wednesday, 18th December 2019 produced Comrade Ademola Babalola, who defeated the then incumbent Chairman, Mr. Adewumi Faniran.
Babalola secured 179 votes to defeat Faniran, who secured 6 votes at the election l, which took place at the NUJ Secretariat, Iyaganku, Ibadan, the state capital.
Others, who emerged in the election included Olusola Oladapo, who scored 175 votes to defeat the incumbent secretary, Bola Ogunlayi who got 10 votes while Akeem Abas defeated the incumbent Treasurer, Busola Adetunji to emerge Treasurer.
The rest were; Abiodun Atitola who emerged unopposed as Financial Secretary, Daud Aderogba who emerged unopposed as Assistant Secretary.
But, since then Faniran has been parading himself as still the Chairman of the union.
However, Oladapo while reacting, said Faniran, who has since then been removed from the National Executive Committee of NUJ, has been giving awards and transacting businesses with organizations individuals and groups on behalf of the Union as Chairman.
Oladapo called on the security agencies in the state not to allow Faniran to drag the name of the union into ridicule.
He said, “It baffles one that Faniran who had since been removed from the National Executive Committee of NUJ is still surreptitiously parading himself as Chairman and giving NUJ awards to unsuspecting Nigerians for pecuniary gains.
“The security agencies are by this notice alerted to rein in, on the former Chairman and call him to order.”
It also calls the attention of the union members and well meaning Nigerians to the fact that other contestants on his team had accepted defeat.
“While the former state council secretary, Bola Ogunlayi, vacated his office, the ex-Chairman, Faniran has singlehandedly been parading himself about.”
The statement added that, in the interest on the union and members from nine out of 10 chapels who cast their votes for Comrade Babalola and other members of the executive elected on December 18, urged Faniran to desist from presenting himself as Chairman of NUJ, Oyo state council.
“Finally, the former NUJ Chairman, parading himself as chairman, has not been able to step into the Press Centre, since Comrade Ademola Babalola was duly elected knowing that he (Faniran) is not popular, an opportunist who saw the seat of the Chairman as his personal property and had the effrontery to go to court after being rejected and defeated by the overwhelming majority of Oyo NUJ members who cast their votes for Comrade Babalola and his team of executives.”
