•Warns public against dealing with impostors

By YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE

The National secretariat of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), on Monday, stated that it only recognises the Comrade Jadesola Ajibola-led leadership in Oyo state, having been duly elected and sworn-in by officials assigned by the national leadership and urged members of the public to relate and transact business only with her and members of her executive committee.

The national body in a statement signed by its National Secretary, Helen Udofia, added that for the avoidance of doubt, “theJadesola Ajibiola-led executive, having met all constitutional requirementsof the NUJ constitution which is the grundnorm being used by the association in the conduct of election into State Councils, is the authentic leadership known and recognized by the NAWOJ National Secretariat.”

According to the union, the NAWOJ national leadership usually follows all laid-down procedures and processes as contained in the constitution of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the emergence of its leaders at all levels, adding that “it is therefore unacceptable to allow a group of people to constitute themselves into brigandage and lawlessness by falsely laying claims through the backdoor to what they did not achieve through laid-down procedures and rules.”

“For emphasis, NAWOJ National Secretariat wishes to state very clearly that it has distanced itself from the charade of Omolola Alamu, Shade Oduola, Ramat Alade, Temilola Ankarah, Temitope Oyewole and Kehinde Igbari, parading themselves as leaders of NAWOJ in Oyo State as they clearly failed to meet the constitutional requirements to contest in the recent election and can therefore not be allowed to use the backdoor to foist themselves on the association.

“NAWOJ is equally constrained to take judicial notice of the activities of the impostors as well as using this medium to inform all security agencies in Oyo State to take notice and treat Omolola Alamu and her co-travellers as well as their associates within and outside the association as impersonators,” NAWOJ stated.

The national body described as unfortunate, the laying of false claim by the Omolola Alamu-led impostors, describing their acts as unwarranted and imploring “development partners and all well-meaning members of the public in Oyo State in particular and the generality of the people to accord the Jadesola Ajibola-led executive its pride of place in the scheme of things”

The national body said as an association, it was constrained to clear the air on the matter to avoid a situation where unsuspecting members of the public are misinformed as well as in order to avoid a situation whereby the name of the great and noble association would be dragged through the mud by impostors.

It will be recalled that on Saturday, November28, 2021,Udofia had stated that there is no going back on the election of the Comrade Jadesola Ajibola-led Oyo State executive while speaking on a live phone in programme tagged “The NAWOJ Imbroglio – As the light goes dim”,anchored by Isaac Brown on Fresh FM 105.9.

She had stated that the election remain irreversible as it was solely guided by Article Six of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Constitution which was strictly adhered to in the processes that led to Oyo NAWOJ election and inauguration.

Comrade Udofia had reiterated that the report submitted by the Oyo NAWOJ election Credential Committee led by Comrade Morenike Esan, was in line with the laid down rules contrary to insinuations by the disqualified aspirants in the election, adding that, ”we found out that some of those disqualified did not have 50 % attendance. Out of 24 meetings, one of them has just eight, and such one wants to contest election. How will she lead an association where she doesn’t attend meetings?

“Some do not pay annual dues to the union, while another one has no professional qualification. One did not even attend congress at all. So, we are guided by the constitution as an association. Just like the INEC, if a candidate must contest election, there are guidelines he or she must meet to qualify for the election,”she stated.

Comrade Udofia had expressed surprise at the request by the Chairman of Oyo NUJ and some elders of the association in Oyo state asking the NAWOJ National body to set aside the constitution, to allow those disqualified by the screening committee to contest the election, emphasizing that the request by Oyo NUJ Chairman and some elders of the association was turned down as the new NAWOJ leadership of Comrade Ladi Bala would not do anything against the constitutional.