Worried with court cases on constitutional matters and allegations of fraud, diversion of union funds for personal use and certificate forgery, the outgoing NUJ President, Mr Chris Isiguso has directed the credentials committee to disqualify some candidates vying for positions in the forthcoming delegates conference holding in Imo state so as to pave way for his preferred candidates.
A source who preferred anonymity disclosed that Isiguso held meetings with the chairman of the credentials committee and some of its members in his office immediately after the screening exercise in Abuja.
Those to be disqualified include Comrade Wole Shokunbi, former chairman of Ogun NUJ from Ogun council and Comrade Edward Ogude, former chairman of Delta council and former vice president zone F so as to pave way for his candidate, Mrs Bimbo Oyetunde, from Edo council to enable her return unopposed.
While Comrade Garba Mohammed, former chairman, Kaduna council and outgoing National officer from zone A is another person for disqualification for the position of NUJ President, Isiguso thinking that Comrades Dele Atunbi and Chris Atsaka will divide the votes from North Central so as to pave way for the outgoing Deputy National President, Comrade Alhassan Yahaya who will win votes from North West and North East when Garba is removed from the race.
The source further revealed that the names of those to be disqualified will first have pending after their names at the provincial list. Afterwards, they will be invited to Abuja to defend themselves, while finally will be disqualified when the final list is released same day.
It further said that the reason for his directive for the disqualification of those candidates may be as a result of strained relationships he has with them because those people are part of those people that ensured his emergence in 2018 in Abeokuta and in Abia in 2021 for his reelection.
Mr Isiguso may be afraid that his candidates for the president and Deputy National President may lose the election, which necessitated his stance for the disqualification of those candidates, the source said.
The source disclosed that few of the committee members explained to the outgoing president that all of them met the constitutional requirements for the election in terms of professional certificate, payment of check off dues for three years and practicing fees for three years, but insisted that they must be disqualified from contesting because of the fear of his candidates being defeated in the election.
” His stance to ensure the disqualification of those candidates might be to cover up for his mismanagement of union funds, diversion of union funds for personal use. He was alleged to have bought a mansion in Abuja aside from plots of land he bought”, the source said.
It would be recalled that few weeks ago, members of this union have dragged Isiguso to industrial court for tenure elongation, abuse of power, his illegibility of his membership of the union having possessed only OND certificate, illegality of the credentials committee he inaugurated two months to the expiration of his tenure and other CWC members, removal of Federal information from the union, allegations of diversion of union funds to his personal use such as the 100 million naira Tompolo gift award and 10,000 dollars from FCT minister among several others too numerous to mention.
The findings showed that out of the three candidates contesting for the position of Deputy National President, Mrs Bimbo Oyetunde is the person with the least experience in union politics. She was secretary for just one year in Lagos council before she was transferred to Edo as General Manager of Bronze FM, one of the outlets of FRCN. While the other two candidates were secretary of their council twice and Council chairman twice.