CITIZENS COMPASS— Eight suspended members of the Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) have formally appealed what they described as an unconstitutional, arbitrary, and legally defective disciplinary action imposed by the National Executive Council (NEC), citing the shocking use of a non-existent constitutional provision as the basis for their suspension.
In a formal petition submitted yesterday, to the National Ethics and Disciplinary Committee through the National Secretary, the affected members described the suspension as a “constitutional catastrophe,” arguing that the NEC anchored its decision on “Article 7 (5d)” of the 2023 NUJ Constitution — a provision they insist does not exist anywhere in the Union’s governing document.
According to the appellants, Article 7 of the NUJ Constitution contains only three sections covering the establishment of the Ethics Committee, procedural guidelines, and penalties, with no Section 5(d) in existence.
“One cannot suspend members under a phantom constitutional provision conjured from thin air. A disciplinary sanction founded on fiction rather than law is null, void, and of no effect,” the appellants stated.
The suspended members argue that this glaring legal defect renders the entire disciplinary process fundamentally invalid and raises disturbing questions about the procedural integrity of the NEC.
They further alleged that NEC was either grossly misled or deliberately shielded from the full facts surrounding the Ogun NUJ electoral disputes, which stemmed from the controversial state triennial delegates conference held on the 11th December 2025.
Their grievances reportedly included; “Improper constitution of the Credentials Committee, Electoral irregularities and constitutional violations, Arbitrary disqualification of qualified candidates, amd Breaches relating to dues, nomination, and eligibility requirements.”
The group maintains that they pursued every available internal mechanism, including petitions, protests, legal correspondence, and requests for dialogue, before any judicial intervention occurred.
They cited that of particular concern is the inclusion of members who were reportedly never party to any legal action, notably Comrades Sekinat and Adejoke Adeleye.
The appellants described their suspension as “oppressive, unjust, and profoundly irresponsible,” questioning the legality and motives behind targeting individuals with no direct legal involvement.
The appeal also spotlighted 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 requirements.
His treatment, they argue, symbolises a broader erosion of democratic norms within the council and suggests the weaponisation of disciplinary structures for political vendetta.
The appellants are calling on the National Ethics and Disciplinary Committee to; “Immediately vacate the suspension of all eight members, Publicly exonerate and apologise to wrongly affected members and prevent future misuse of imaginary constitutional provisions for punitive purposes.”
The group noted that the matter was beyond individual suspensions and now poses a direct challenge to the NUJ’s commitment to constitutional governance, fairness, and institutional credibility.
“If constitutional provisions can be fabricated to silence dissent, then no member of the Union is safe from arbitrary persecution,” they said.
The appellants concluded by urging the Committee to uphold justice, transparency, and constitutional fidelity over expediency, stressing that the NUJ must choose between remaining a professional body governed by law or descending into institutional arbitrariness.
The suspended journalists were Wole Shokunbi, a two-time Secretary and former Chairman of the Ogun State Council; Folake Ade-Adeniji, former Deputy President of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists; Razak Ayinla, former Correspondents’ Chapel Chairman; Modupe Salabiu, former Treasurer of the Ministry of Information Chapel; Joke Adeleye, former Assistant Secretary of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ).; Kunle Ibukunle, former Financial Secretary of Ogun State Television (OGTV) Chapel; Seun Odunlami, former Treasurer of the Federated Chapel; and Sekinat Salam-Opebiyi, the embattled Ogun State Coordinator of Nigeria Association of NAWOJ.
