“I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY COURT CASE WITH RIVERS STATE CORRESPONDENTS’ CHAPEL OF NIGERIAN UNION OF JOURNALISTS-NUJ” NATIONAL PRESIDENT –CHRIS ISIGUZO REVEALS

By Our reporter

The ongoing court case in National Industrial Court Port Harcourt Judicial division with suit no NICN/PH/04/2018, involving two factions of members of Correspondents’ Chapel Nigerian Union of Journalists Rivers state Council is turning messier as the National president of the Union Comrade Chris Isiguzo who took over from Comrade Abdulwalid Odusile has come out to deny that since he took over office as National president of Nigerian Union of Journalists-NUJ, he had not seen any file pertaining to court matter before National Industrial Court Port Harcourt Judicial Division.

When our reporter put a telephone call to comrade Chris Isiguzo on Friday 11th, October, 2019 he quickly denied being in the know saying “I am not aware of any court case at Port Harcourt and I have no such file since I took over office.” The matter was duly filed on 24th of January, 2018 with Motion On Notice served on all the parties. Ironically, a lawyer has been showing up appearance as Counsel to National President Nigerian union of Journalists-NUJ which Comrade Chris Isiguzo is leading current and as such ought to have inherited the case officially. The case was mentioned on Wednesday 16th of October, 2019 at National Industrial Court Port Harcourt Judicial Division Court room 2 where the Judge was not pleased with the defense Counsel’s rigmarole on the nutty gritty of Preliminary Objection Motion which she file being unable to convince the Court reasons why her Motion should be successful, Justice S.C Ogbuanya has now adjourned the matter for 4th December, 2019 probably for Ruling on the Preliminary Objection and commencement of hearing which never took place since February 9th 2018 after the death of the first Judge, on February 25th, 2018 allegedly due to fatigue. Since the new Judge had taken over the case it has not commenced hearing 19 months after it was brought before the National Industrial court Port Harcourt Judicial Division.

Since January 2018, the warring factions had been locked up in a legal infraction as the Claimant Mr. Christopher Akpekwu Imbufe, Dennis Naku, Bunmi Toki-Durojaiye, Chijioke Nwakpa, Julius Ogba Vs National President, Nigeria Union of Journalists, National secretary Nigerian Union of Journalists-Alhaji Liman Shuaibu, Elder Eddy ogude, Rivers state Chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists, Miss Uche Agbam,  Ernest Chinwo, Joe Ezuma, Anayo Onukwugha, Alice Onukwugha and Chief Godfrey Azubuike (now deceased).  

READ ALSO: PORT HARCOURT TOP JOURNALIST GODFREY AZUBUIKE IS DEAD

 The matter before the National Industrial Court Port Harcourt Judicial Division is for determination whether Ernest Chinwo has the constitutional right to contest election for the third term having been sworn in, in 2013 and 2015 whether NUJ Constitution 2011 version permits Minimum qualification of Diploma in General education or specifically Diploma in Journalism or Mass Communication having disqualified Christopher Akpekwu Imbufe who was running for Chairman, Bunmi Toki-Durojaiye Vice Chairperson, and Chijioke Nwakpa. Apart from that the following persons were suspended from Correspondents’ Chapel Nigerian Union of Journalists for allegedly taking the Union to Court, Akpekwu Christopher Imbufe Chairman, Bunmi  Durojaiye Vice Chairperson, Chijioke Nwakpa for Financial Secretary, Emeka Amaefula for Treasurer, Philips Ezuma for Secretary, Iyala Idaye, Chief Julius Ogba, Denis Naku, Amaka Agbu Secretary Electoral Committee, Richard Nzemeke Member Electoral Committee all the eleven suspended members popularly addressed as Legacy team had insisted on peaceful resolution of the dispute through legal arbitration at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria-NICN Port Harcourt Judicial Division. Irrespective of overtures being articulated by some concerned Senior Journalists in Rivers state for Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanism-ADR, all had failed. Few weeks back, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications Pastor Paulinus attempted to settle the dispute using ADR mechanism but was informed by Ernest Chinwo that suspension of the eleven members took place based on instructions he received from National Secretariat of NUJ Abuja and which must be reversed by instruction from National Working Committee-NWC. And it became imperative for several options to be adopted without recourse to constitutional provisions on Election matters in Article 6 which did not have Pre-election dispute resolutions mechanism specifically laid down in various rules therein, this move was stalled and www.towncrier.ng reportedly gathered that Pastor Paulinus Nsirim has washed off his hands in the matter as the most senior journalist in Rivers state urging parties to do whatever they deem fit in the matter.