Court resolves Abia NUJ leadership tussle

An Abia State High Court sitting in Umuahia has ended the four -year legal suit filed by three members of the State Correspondents Chapel (Chapel) of the state Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) challenging the leadership of the association.

The plaintiffs filed the suit on behalf of Chapel members on the platform of ‘Concerned Members of the Correspondents’ Chapel’, praying the court to nullify the election of the then Emmanuel Ugwu-led Correspondents Chapel Executive.

The three Plaintiffs were Anayo Okoli of Vanguard Newspaper, Obinna Ibe, of the then Insider magazine and George Opara of National Mirror.

‎Respondents in the suit marked as HU/97/2012 were Ugwu (Chairman), Emeka Okafor (Secretary), Miss Henrietta Ashikodi, Generus Ezeru, Steve Oko, and the former state NUJ Council Chairman, Comrade Hyacinth Okoli.

The plaintiffs contended that the disqualification of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Reporter, Emmanuel Acha to vie for the Chapel chairmanship was not in order hence not acceptable to them.