Lagos state journalists poll: Incumbent Chairman, Akinreti raises alarm over alleged plot to derail electoral process

A Chairmanship candidate in the forthcoming election of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council, Dr Qasim Akinreti has raised alarm over plot by some people to derail the electoral process ahead of the poll.

Penpushing reports that, Akinremi who is seeking a second term made the allegation at a press conference, adding that part of the plan is to manipulate the electoral process to the point that Journalists will protest and the National Secretariat will cash in on the protest to install a Caretaker Committee.

‘Let it be noted that we will resist every attempt to impose an illegal caretaker committee on us in Lagos. We are aware of the ploy to hide under the proposed nationwide strike called by the NLC and TUC, to postpone the Lagos NUJ election indefinitely and install a Caretaker Committee in Lagos’.

Penpushing further reports that, the Akinreti Campaign organization in a statement by Fabian Anawo threatened and warned that Lagos journalists will resist any such attempt, arguing that in the event that the election could not hold, under any guise, rather than putting in place an illegal Caretaker Committee, the tenure of the present executive should be extended in line with  the doctrine of necessity as is the case with National Association of Women Journalists(NAWOJ).

The campaign team said several petitions on the election have been sent to the National Secretariat in the last two weeks which results are yet to be made known, adding that there was a petition demanding that the credentials which the National Secretariat relied upon to clear the contestants be published in line with Article 6(2).

‘The Credentials Committee has not published the list of members from chapels who will vote in the election. This is in total disregard to the Constitution and established convention’, Akinreti emphasised.

‘The purpose of publishing the documents, ie certificates and Chapel lists is for members to make claims and objections, correct spelling errors in names that could lead to members not being allowed to vote and for members whose names may be missing on the list to have them included before election’.

Penpushing also reports that, the team alleged that chapel  lists that were sent to State Council for the election have been doctored by some members of executive who are also contestants, arguing that there is nowhere in the world where contestants in an election are given access to manipulate vital election documents like voters’ list.

‘We hereby state unequivocally that the Credentials Committee has been compromised and can no longer be trusted to be an unbiased umpire. We are therefore calling for a total cancellation of the so-called verification exercise because the process has been compromised. What the Credentials Committee can do to remedy the situation is to direct Chapel Excos to submit a new list for accreditation and voting’.\

‘We are not taking anything to chances. We will put security agencies on notice over the evil plot. We will not fold our arms and allow anybody to plunge Lagos NUJ into crises. That is why we are notifying the security agencies to nip the plan in the bud.