2025 Enugu NUJ Election: Between Sam Udekwe and Obinna Ogbuka Chairmanship Struggle 

              BY JUDE  OSSAI

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Sirach 9 vs 10 says, “Never abandon an old friend, you will never find a new one who can take his place. Friendship is like wine; it gets better as it grows older”.

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If the time table of the Credentials Committee of Enugu State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) is not altered, March 7, 2025, all eligible journalists in the state will be going to the poll to elect new executive to pilot the affairs of the union for the next three years.

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The venue of the election as released by the Union’s 5-man Credentials Committee led by Comrade Sebastine Okafor of Daily Star Chapel is NUJ Press Centre, 7 Rangers Avenue, Enugu.

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A build up to the Friday’s scheduled election, shows skirmishes over the composition of the Credentials Committee as a cabal in the union vehemently opposed the initial 3-man committee consituted by Chairman Udekwe as enshrined in NUJ constitution.

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Curiously, the National body of NUJ bowed to pressure from the cabal by going further to appoint Secretary of the Credentials Committee, Clinton Umeh a neophyte in NUJ union politics. To many, the national body acted against the union constitution by imposing the committee on journalists as there was no factional group in Enugu State Council of NUJ but normal succession intrigues by members of the union.

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As if these were not enough, a coup was nipped in the bud as a plot was already hatched to overthrow the regime of the incumbent in the state.

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A letter signed by Lawrence Njoku of “The Guardian”, convening an emergency meeting of all Chairman and Secretaries was sent out.

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To Njoku, Chairman of the NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel, Enugu and his acolytes, the tenure of Chairman Udekwe ended on February 22, 2025, therefore he should exit office, creating a vacuum and consequently leading to another round of crisis, a reminiscent of the ’90s.

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Parts of the letter read: “Please, be informed that the meeting of State Executive Committee (SEC) of the NUJ, Enugu State Council will hold tomorrow, Monday, 24 February, 2025.Venue;  NUJ Press Centre Time 2PM. Please, be punctual.”

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Apparently to save itself from an embarrassment, the national secretariat of NUJ swiftly extended the tenure of Udekwe’s regime to two weeks, ending on March 8, 2025.

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The letter signed by the NUJ National Secretary, Achike Chude, dated February 24, 2024  reads: “Please be reminded that the National Secretariat has course to point the way forward in the electoral process with regards to composition of the Credentials Committee of the Council. This had implications on the time frame for the electoral process which was extended to the 8th of March, 2025.

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“Be informed that the tenure of your administration ends effectively on Saturday, 8th of March, 2025 after the election for new electoral mandates of officers of the Council is ended. Peace, maturity, tolerance and stability must be the watch word for all who desire the continue progress of the Council.

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Now the questions, how did candidates survive the union’s guidelines/constitution when it is obvious that some of them are not qualified to contest the NUJ poll.  Perhaps, it against this backdrop that some of them ran to office of the Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) Managing Director for assistance, trying to ignite zonal politics in the state. But thank God, the Media Aides to Governor Peter Mbah and other lovers of peace were able to calm the situation.

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Governor Mbah has been good to the media practitioners in Enugu State and beyond even before he became the state chief executive, and one won’t want any disruption of the symbiotic relationships.

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In reference to the Biblical quote in opening paragraph of this piece, Udekwe and Obinna are/were good friends to the extent that Udekwe made him Director-General of his Campaign Organisation, an election that brought him to power in 2022 as NUJ Chairman.

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It was gathered that there were series of meetings to broker peace between these two friends but to no avail.

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Then, what are the issues in this campaign? Why should a performer be changed?

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To Tony Edike, a veteran journalist and publisher of the Advocate newspaper, “In 6 years, Enugu NUJ was being dragged around in Industrial Court by people who vowed that there shall be no peace in Enugu chapter. Through prayers and determination by some peace-loving elders and members, God gave us a leader in Sam who has enjoyed the strong support of his Exco members without rancor for three years. The much needed Unity and Peace was restored to Enugu chapter.

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“The Sam Udekwe regime wiped away our shame by getting the immediate past government of Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to rehabilitate the Press center and approved monthly subvention to effectively maintain the centre.

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“The majority of the people that made sure peace eluded and their known sponsors are behind the opposition candidates. These same people stagnated the union for almost 12 years (under Dilibe and Arum regimes).

What is their interest in the union other than pecuniary (to use the union to extort money from people and to sell the remaining land spaces at the centre as they did under Dilibe without accountability.

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“Sam and his Secretary, Ifeoma Amuta have not performed badly in three years to warrant being  removed after one term. They have worked very hard to uplift the union and succeeded in entrenching peace in the union and the reward for hardwork is more work. They deserve another term. Looking at those seeking election in the opposition camp, what are their antecedents. What positive impact have they made in the union since they became members? Do they have the ability to move the union forward given the caliber and the antecedents of their sponsors? These are issues agigating the minds of many concerned members and they should not be allowed to return Enugu council to another era of crisis.

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Perhaps, what is drawing more sympathy for Comrade Udekwe’s re-election bid included among others, his audacity to resist the cabal selfishness, imposition of union leaders by external forces and the peace he restored in Enugu State Council of NUJ.

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His words: “When I first took office, in consonance with my 2022 campaign mantra of “the peace I have I will give you” I made a promise: a promise to uphold the values of integrity, professionalism, and unity in our beloved union. All these have come to pass.

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“Today, Enugu State Council is rated as one of the most peaceful Councils in the country and we have all enjoyed it together, leaving nobody behind, including the crisis merchants who naturally became uncomfortable in the environment of peace.

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Unlike his rival, Ogbuka who is battling to save his name from number of alleged untidy appropriation of finances while as a chairman of his FRCN Chapel, Udekwe beats his chest, saying, “In my first term, we prioritized transparency and accountability. It’s worthy of note that in my administrative style to promote transparency I made sure that more officers in the management of finance began to receive our bank transaction alerts which is not readily available in the banking system but I had to apply for that.

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“We established clearer communication channels, enhanced contacts for  training programmes, and fought tirelessly for the welfare of journalists in our state. Each initiative, every workshop, and advocacy effort was aimed at empowering you—our members—to thrive in your careers and to uphold the noble profession of journalism.

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“We’ve continued to follow the path of generality and inclusivity while eschewing the obnoxious philosophy of “the fewer the merrier”, to ensure that everyone is carried along.

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“Naturally, with the foundation of peace in place, we were able to establish fruitful collaboration with the government, earning us monumental achievements, including but not limited to the reconstruction of the Press Centre building that houses the hallowed Unity Hall which hitherto became the subject of every ugly discussion.

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“If given the honour to continue serving as your Chairman, I pledge to focus on the following key areas:

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“1. Capacity Building: We will expand our training programmes to ensure that every member is equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate the evolving media landscape effectively.

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“2. Advocacy for Journalist Welfare: I will work relentlessly to improve the welfare and working conditions of journalists, ensuring that our voices are heard in policy discussions that affect our profession.

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“3. Strengthening Unity: A united front is vital for our strength. I will initiate more collaborative projects and events that bring us together, fostering a greater sense of community among our members.

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“4 Embracing Technology: We will harness the power of technology to enhance our reach, improve our storytelling capabilities, and engage more effectively with our audience.

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“5. Youth Engagement: The future of our union lies in the hands of the next generation of journalists. I intend to create more mentorship programmes to inspire and guide young journalists, ensuring that they are prepared to face the demands of an ever-changing industry.

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Indeed, Ogbuka has to contend with credibility challenge and the question of his sudden U-turn against his principal and bossom friend, Udekwe. He also has to explanain to journalists what went wrong between him and his erstwhile ally, Udekwe whom as his Campaign Director-General, traversed length and breadth of various chapels in the state, seeking votes for him in 2022. Who betrayed each other?

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Potraying as a gang up, the Ogbuka’s campaign team is being led by the same Lawrence Njoku, a key member of the “Divine Mandate Team” that persuaded voters to elect Udekwe as Chairman of the union in 2022.

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To the camp of Ogbuka, Udekwe should be replaced at all means even by compelling the National secretariat to set up a Caretaker Committee to run the Council.

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“The Council’s head is broken. There’s a disconnect between transparency and accountability. This powerful contrast best describes the situation which provoked you to rise up”, the Ogbuka’s campaign team stated in their leaflets.

Surprisingly, Udekwe has told whoever cares to listen that his then Campaign DG, Ogbuka now eyeing his seat was privy to all his policies and programmes before they were made public, allegations his opponent never disputed and no financial misappropriation has been established against the incumbent.

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Be that as it may, Udekwe if not re-elected, will be the only chairman of Enugu NUJ Council in recent time to be stopped from doing his second tenure in office. Many will see it as an injustice and unfair treatment to the people of Enugu North Senatorial Zone (Nsukka) as Udekwe is the first journalist from the zone to occupy the chairmanship seat of Enugu State NUJ since its inception over 36 years ago.

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Ogbuka is from Mpu in Aninri Local Government Area while Udekwe hails from Igga community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, both from Enugu State. The battle line is drawn.

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OSSAI, Ex-Vice Chairman of NUJ, Enugu State Council, former Southeast Bureau Chief of Nigerian Tribune and publisher of Daily News Nigeria.