Akeem Babatunde Abas, the son of the Oyo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been elected as the new Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council.
Akeem secured the top position with 143 votes, defeating two other strong contenders: Mr Raji Adebayo, who polled 118 votes, and the union’s outgoing State Secretary, Mr Sola Oladapo, who received 59 votes. Five ballots in the chairmanship category were declared spoilt.
The election, conducted under a tense but orderly atmosphere at the NUJ Press Centre in Iyaganku, Ibadan, also saw contests for several other key positions within the union.
In the race for Vice Chairman, Mr Atilola Abiodun won a decisive victory with 205 votes, against Mr Sam Nwanko’s 112 votes.
The contest for Secretary was closely fought. Temitayo Adu won the seat with 166 votes, narrowly defeating Adeniji Olamide, who garnered 149 votes. Several votes in this category were also declared invalid by the electoral committee.
For the position of Treasurer, Moses Morenkeji emerged the winner with 173 votes, defeating Khalid Imran, who secured 140 votes. This marked one of the more decisive victories of the day.
The polls attracted journalists from all across Oyo State, with candidates fielded by the two dominant blocs; the Divine Mandate Team and the Great Minds Team for the different posts.