NUJ VP: SWAN Parallel Congresses Illegal

Two factions of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) was said to have emerged at the separate elective congresses to pilot the affairs of SWAN at the national level.

The Vice President, Zone D, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Wilson Bako declared in Lafia that the 2 congresses, which were held in Port Harcourt and Abuja, should be disregarded.

The congress in Abuja elected current Edo Chairman Ahmed Aigbona as President unopposed, with Mike Oboh also emerging unopposed as Secretary-General alongside other officials.

Other congress also held in Port Harcourt almost simultaneously, this returned Honour Sirawoo as National President through a voice vote, with other officials also elected unopposed.

Both congresses were held contrary to NUJ’s directive, which had asked that both events be suspended pending when issues surrounding the conduct of the elections were resolved.

But it is unfortunate, in the sense that SWAN members exercised a sense of disrespect to constituted authority.

The national body of NUJ, which each member of SWAN must be a member before contesting as a SWAN official, gave a directive that since there were petitions to be sorted out every faction should halt any further action but unfortunately, the two factions went ahead and conducted elections in Port Harcourt and Abuja with each having its officials. This has been disregarded by the NUJ VP.