Olawunmi Ajibike
Eight suspended members of the Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) have challenged what they described as an unconstitutional and arbitrary disciplinary action imposed by the National Executive Council (NEC), accusing the body of relying on a nonexistent constitutional provision to justify their suspension.
In a petition submitted to the National Ethics and Disciplinary Committee through the National Secretary, the affected members described the action as a “constitutional blunder,” alleging that NEC based its decision on “Article 7 (5d)” of the 2023 NUJ Constitution — a provision they insist does not exist in the union’s governing document.
According to the appellants, Article 7 of the constitution contains only three sections dealing with the establishment of the Ethics Committee, procedural guidelines, and penalties, without any Section 5(d).
The petition stated that imposing disciplinary sanctions based on a “phantom provision” renders the suspension null and void, while also raising concerns over the procedural integrity of the NEC.
The suspended members further alleged that the NEC was either misled or denied full details surrounding the Ogun NUJ electoral crisis linked to the controversial state triennial delegates conference held on December 11, 2025.
Among the grievances raised were the alleged improper constitution of the Credentials Committee, electoral irregularities, arbitrary disqualification of candidates, and violations relating to dues, nomination, and eligibility requirements.
The appellants maintained that they exhausted all internal dispute resolution mechanisms, including petitions, protests, legal correspondence, and requests for dialogue, before any judicial intervention.
They also questioned the inclusion of members who were reportedly not parties to any legal action, particularly Comrades Sekinat and Adejoke Adeleye, describing their suspension as unjust and oppressive.
The appeal equally highlighted the case of Comrade Oluwole Shokunbi, a former two-term Chairman and former Secretary of the Ogun NUJ Council, who was allegedly disenfranchised despite meeting constitutional and financial obligations.
According to the petitioners, his experience reflects a growing erosion of democratic principles within the council and suggests that disciplinary procedures are being deployed for political vendetta.
The appellants urged the National Ethics and Disciplinary Committee to immediately lift the suspension of all eight members, publicly exonerate those wrongly affected, and prevent future misuse of unconstitutional provisions for disciplinary purposes.
They warned that the issue goes beyond individual suspensions and now threatens the NUJ’s credibility, constitutional governance, and commitment to fairness.
The petition concluded with a call on the committee to uphold justice, transparency, and constitutional order, stressing that the union must remain governed by law rather than arbitrariness.