By JOHNSON EBIGIDE
The most awaited election of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Delta State has finally been fixed for Tuesday, October 6, 2020. A release signed by the national secretary of the union, Shuaibu Leman, directed the concerned to forward the approved list of delegates to the electoral committee immediately to facilitate the conduct of a free and fair election of the union in the state.
It would be recalled that the election of the union, earlier scheduled to hold in the state, was scuttled because of some irregularities, requiring the Honourable Commissioner for Information in the state, Mr. Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, stepping in determinedly to stem the tide of the union drifting into backwardness and creating unnecessary hindrances in the actualisation of the Stronger Delta vision of the state government under the watch of Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa.
Now that the national body of the union has finally acceded to the need to conduct the council election without further delay, let members and indeed stakeholders in the union maintain the peace, towards the conduct of a free and fair election of the union in the state as announced.
Now is the time to eschew all forms of sentiment by members and settle for the right candidates; let not gratifications and the unfortunate pull of godfatherism confuse the delegates into voting for puppets and stooges who have nothing to offer the union than collaborative efforts at sharing the Commonwealth of the union in the state among themselves.
This is also to thank members of the electoral committee and the Sonia Unobunjo led caretaker committee for their patience and determination to deliver in the face of excruciating intimidations from the hooded godfathers who are bent at delivering their candidates in the upcoming election against the popular will of the generality of members of the union in the state and beyond.
May we all live to see the right candidates inaugurated on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 !