The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, has resisted attempt by the outgoing NUJ President, Mr Chris Isiguzo, to impose a caretaker committee on the council.
Isiguzo had mobilised thugs and a handful of NUJ members loyal to him to install a caretaker committee on the council.
Isiguzo’s cronies, however, met a stiff resistance from hundreds of NUJ members, including chairmen and secretaries of various chapels, who trooped to the NUJ Press Centre at Moscow Road as early as 8:00am to stop the charade.
Sensing stiff opposition against the constitution of the caretaker committee, Isiguzo’s loyalists led by the chairman of the Correspondents Chapel, Amaechi Okonkwo, who is being tipped for chairmanship of the caretaker committee relocated to an unknown destination where Isiguzo’s errand men from Abuja, John Angase, Roland Osakue and Patrick Ochei, allegedly constituted an illegal caretaker committee.
Members of the NUJ in Rivers State, especially chairmen and secretaries of various chapels that constitute the State Executive Council (SEC), have vowed to resist any attempt by the outgoing NUJ President to foist a caretaker committee on the council.
A statement jointly signed by the state council chairman and secretary, comrades Stanley Job Stanley and Ike Wigodo respectively, and endorsed by 14 out of 21 chapel chairmen and secretaries, stated that any caretaker committee constituted by the NUJ President and his lackeys would never be recognised.
According to the statement, the only authority recognised by Article 5.C (9C) of the NUJ Constitution to constitute a caretaker committee in any state council are the chairmen and secretaries of various chapels in the state who constitute the SEC.
The statement quoted the chairmen of the State Information Chapel, Mr Owupele Benebo and his Independent Monitor Chapel counterpart, Mr Olalekan Ige, as saying that any committee constituted outside the NUJ Press Centre without the knowledge and inputs of all chapel leaders would be null and void and of no effect on the state council.
The statement condemned Isiguzo’s desperation to instigate crisis of unimaginable proportion in the Rivers State Council, and also chided the chairman of the Correspondents Chapel, Amaechi Okonkwo and his Tide Chapel counterpart, Amadi Akujobi, for allowing themselves to be used as willing tools in the hands of the outgoing NUJ President to destabilize the state council.
The statement regretted that rather than Isiguzo and his cronies to abide by the resolutions of the NUJ elders and veterans in the state who had chatted the way forward for the council, they resorted to unethical conducts that are inimical to the peaceful resolution of the lingering crisis.
The statement read: “The letter Isiguzo’s men brandished this morning said the three errand men Isiguzo sent from Abuja to the Rivers State Council, John Angase, Roland Osakue and Patrick Ochei, should call for a meeting of SEC members at the NUJ Press Centre to look at the possibility of constituting a caretaker committee. But they did not explore this possibility even when the majority of SEC members were at the NUJ Press Centre waiting for the three men.
“Instead, the chairman of the Correspondents Chapel Amaechi Okonkwo, obviously defending the interest of his kinsman, Isiguzo, and also for his selfish reasons of becoming the chairman of the caretaker committee, drove Messrs John Angase, Roland Osakue and Patrick Ochei away from the Press Centre to an unknown destination to constitute an illegal caretaker committee.
“We want to assure NUJ members that the status quo remains as the illegal caretaker committee would not stand or be recognized or allowed to preside over the affairs of NUJ in Rivers State.
“As members of the SEC representing various chapels in Rivers State Council of NUJ, we would not allow illegality and injustice to thrive.
“We, therefore, call on well meaning NUJ elders and veterans in Rivers State to rein in on Isiguzo and his cronies in the state to desist from further shenanigans that could jeopardise peace and tranquility in our council”.
The statement also warned the public against recognising the illegal caretaker committee or doing any business with it in their own interest.
