NUJ Lagos Declares Information Chapel Election Free & Fair

The Chairman of the NUJ Lagos State Council, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi, has declared that the NUJ Lagos Information Chapel election held on Thursday at the Secretariat, Alausa, a free and fair contest. 

Mr. Ajayi, who stated this during the swearing-in of the seven newly elected members of the Lagos Information Chapel,  said: “I want to congratulate the members of the NUJ Lagos Information for conducting a free and fair election”.

“I also congratulate Comrade Debo Adeniji and his team on their re-election for another term of three years in office. For those who did not win, I want to say they should take it in good faith, as I also contested several times before I won as the Chairman of the State Council of the Union”, he added.

He implored the newly elected executives to do more and deliver on their electoral promises while admonishing members to support the Executive led by Comrade Debo Adeniji, to elevate the Chapel to greater heights.

In his acceptance speech, titled “Consolidation”, Comrade Debo Adeniji expressed his gratitude to the Almighty God for His unwavering faithfulness to each member of the Chapel.

“As you are aware, we exerted our utmost efforts during our initial term in office. In this second term, we aim to solidify our plans by accomplishing all the great programme initiatives for our second term in office.
Similarly, on behalf of the other Executive Members of this Chapel, I assure you of our commitment to ongoing collaboration with all stakeholders. Indeed, the election has come and gone, however, the Ministry of Information and Strategy family will continue as an unbreakable and stronger entity. I implore everyone to embrace the spirit of oneness and unity in the overall interest of our common aspirations”, Adeniji said.

According to the Chairman, “I wish to declare that our victory will strengthen the NUJ Lagos Information Chapel”.

He expressed his appreciation to the Permanent Secretary, Directors, Senior Colleagues, Contemporaries, and Comrades for their support for his re-election and to the electoral committee for conducting a widely acknowledged free and fair election.

In his congratulatory message, titled: “Time to Reset”, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Olumide Sogunle congratulated all participants and umpires at the just concluded NUJ Lagos Information Chapel elections, noting that the will of the majority of NUJ members has prevailed and it’s time for sober reflections and a reality check.

He implored contestants to refrain from allowing themselves to be pawns of any leader, individual, or group, stressing that team play, selfless service, and cordial relationships should be common pursuit of all members.

“As a Union of news hounds, this institution must close ranks. Future aspirants must listen to the counsel of elders and fashion out long-term strategies to identify the group that wields the most influence among the officers. This is the quickest route to electoral victory; where everything must be based on antecedents, commitment, loyalty, and integrity”, Sogunle said.

Comrade Jamiu Hassan, the chairmanship co-contestant, while congratulating Comrade Debo Adeniji, said, “We have just concluded another important session in the annals of our vibrant chapel, the election of a new executive to lead us through a tenure of three years. I congratulate the new Executive Members and wish them a successful tenure in office”.

The election process, which was conducted by the credentials committee led by Mr. Tayo Ogunbiyi and announced by the representative of the NUJ Lagos State Council, resulted in Comrade Debo Adeniji securing 170 votes against his opponent, Comrade Jamiu Hassan, who received 99 votes. Other candidates were returned unopposed.