LAGOS –
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Lagos State Chapter, rose from its Emergency Congress on Friday, focusing on the forthcoming National Election.
After an extensive deliberation, the Congress frowned at the election guidelines released by SWANECO, saying it would lead to tyranny and therefore, called on NUJ leadership to intervene.
At the end of the Congress, the communiqué signed by the drafting committee – Femi Solaja (Chairman), Bunmi Ogunyale (Secretary), Patrick Ibeh, Humphrey Njoku, Jacob Ajom, Abolore Abdulrahman and Sulaiman Adebayo (Pooja) reads in full:
That we reject the Guidelines for the 2019 SWAN National Election as published by the SWANECO especially in with regards to:
a) Stipulated fees for the collection of forms which are excessive
b) The cumbersome process of screening which takes almost a week
c) The non specification of date and venue of the election
d) The requirement in Paragraph 6 for state chapter delegates to be approved by the National Secretariat which goes against democratic principles in that the Constitution of the NUJ and SWAN Statutes have clearly spelt out the eligibility of delegates and voters
e) The provision in Paragraph 11 which requires that candidates for the positions of President and Secretary General must have been or be members of the National Executive Council, in that the provision is at variance with Article 6(7)(c) of the NUJ Constitution and Article 13 (1) of the SWAN Statutes.
That it commends the Chairman of SWANECO for resigning his position in disagreement with those provisions
That it urges the National Executive Council to amend the Electoral Guidelines in conformity with the provision of the NUJ Constitution and the SWAN Statutes.
That it condemns the action of the National President in petitioning members to the Directorate of State Services and the Police without due recourse to the internal mechanism for dispute resolution in the NUJ and SWAN
That the SWAN NEC should urgently intervene on these issues with a view to repositioning the electoral process on the path of decency and normalcy
That the NUJ should urgently intervene to check and abort the tendencies for tyranny and dictatorship in the institution of SWAN.
