Court nullifies Benue NUJ election, orders arrest of President, others

The National Industrial Court sitting in Makurdi on Thursday, nullified the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Council election in Benue.

The Court presided over by Justice I.J, Essien, also ordered the arrest of the NUJ National President, Chris Isiguzo, and three other national officers for contempt of court.

The court ordered for arrest of the NUJ National Secretary, Leman Shuaib, and the Vice President Zone D, Mr Wilson Bako.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Orduen Dura of the State Information chapel had dragged the union before the Court seeking, interpretation on whether the National Secretariat of the NUJ had the right to violate its constitution by qualifying candidates that had been disqualified by its Credentials Committee.

Dura had informed the court that while undergoing screening for the council polls, Bemdoo Ugber of Radio Benue, Terna Umah of the NTA chapels did not meet the 50 percent attendance requirement and were disqualified by the committee but their disqualifications were upturned by the national body of the union.

The petitioner, therefore, approached the court seeking for an injunction to put the election that had been slated for July 3 on hold pending the determination of the matter before it.

The injunction was granted on July 2 and service effected on the Acting Chairman of the NUJ Benue council, Mr Martin’s Kajo at the venue of the election.

Not withstanding the court order stopping the conduct of the polls, the credentials committee, headed by Mr Chris Apuu, went ahead to conduct the elections.

When the case came up on Thursday, Counsel for Dura, Mr R.I. Wombo prayed the court to commit to prison all the respondents including Vice President Zone D and all those that emerged as leaders at that election.

The learned Counsel told the court that all the respondents except the then Acting Chairman of the council, Kajo, be exempted from committal to prison for obeying the court order and staying away from the election.

Justice Essien therefore, ordered Mr Bemdoo Ugber, the purported winner of the chairmanship position and other winners in that election to hand over any property of the union in their possession to the Interim Caretaker Committee led by Mr Steven Ijoh.

The judge also ordered them to stop parading themselves as executives of the union.