The National Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), on Saturday, stopped the planned inauguration of a factional executive of the union in Ogun State.
The NUJ said it stopped the event based on the order of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria sitting in Ibadan, which restrained it from conducting fresh election in the Ogun State Council of the union.
The Vice President B Zone, Cosmos Oni, who had led other officers to Abeokuta to conduct the proposed election, confirmed the directive of the NUJ national leadership.
“Based on the directive of the national secretariat, the inauguration has been put on hold,” Oni said in a telephone chat.It was further gathered that security agencies liaised with the union’s leadership and advised that the court order must be obeyed to avert breakdown of law and order.
Justice J. D. Peters had, on Wednesday, granted an order in an ex parte application brought before him in suit number NICN/IB/85/2019, restraining the NUJ President, Comrade Chris Isiguzo, the NUJ National Secretary, Comrade Shuaib Leman, and other respondents from holding any election in Ogun pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.
The suit was filed by the Ogun NUJ Chairman, Soji Amosu, and three other claimants, challenging the purported decision of the union’s national leadership to conduct fresh election into the offices occupied by the claimants.
Ruling on the application brought by counsel to the applicants, Deji Enisenyin, Justice Peters, ordered the respondents to refrain from conducting any election in the Ogun State council of NUJ.
He also ruled that the applicants have rights for which the intervention of the court was necessary and sought to be protected from infringement by the respondents.
He, however, held that the claimants, who were elected on March 29, 2019, should not be interfered with by Isiguzo, Leman, Central Working Committee and National Executive Council which were joined as first, second, third and fourth respondents respectively.
The judge adjourned the case to December 4, 2019 to hear the Motion on Notice.
THE SUN, NIGERIA
