The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has witnessed the emergence of two presidents from separate elective Congresses on Monday in Abuja and Port-Harcourt respectively.
Reports revealed that while the Port Harcourt 2019 Triennial Delegates Congress returned Honour Sirawoo as National President for a second term in office through a voice vote, a parallel group in Abuja, elected former Edo SWAN chairman, Ahmed Aigbona, as its president.
Aigbona was removed as Edo SWAN chairman on July 6, 2016, after he was elected a board member of the Edo State Football Association (FA) as he cannot hold two elective offices.
Elected in the Port Harcourt also, were Vice Presidents Bonny Nyong, South-South; Dan Musa Mohammed, North-Central; Jiboh Zakari, North-East, and Chigozie Chukwuleta, South-East. Jude Opara, a member of the FCT was elected as Secretary-General, while Bello Farouk emerged as the Treasurer, and Orji Samson Nwabebe, became the Financial Secretary.
Isaiah Benjamin, Chairman, SWAN Electoral Committee (SWANECO), said the positions of Deputy President, Vice President, North-West and Deputy Secretary General were not occupied.
Benjamin who is the SWAN Chairman, Kaduna State said the vacant positions would be filled in due course as some of those who purchased the forms were absent at the congress, thereby contravening the SWAN statutes.
The SWANECO chairman also said Kwara, Bauchi, Zamfara, Cross River and Gombe States where absent at the event in Port Harcourt, while Lagos came with five observers, adding: “Delegates from Ogun were attacked on their way and as such couldn’t make it to Port Harcourt.”
Thirty states attended the congress in Port Harcourt, while the Abuja event was graced by aggrieved members of SWAN who vowed vehemently to oppose the return of Sirawo for a second term.
In a similarly development, Mike Oboh, another member of the FCT SWAN emerged as Secretary-General of the Abuja faction, while the immediate-past Vice-President North-West, Ado Salisu, emerged Deputy President, just as Femi Amusan from Oyo State became Vice-President South-West.
Emmanuel Uja from Benue State emerged as Vice-President, North-Central; Loveday Herbert, from Bayelsa State became Vice-President South-South, and Ismaila Mohammed from Jigawa was elected as Vice-President North-West.
Ikem Asika from Anambra State is the group’s Vice-President South-East, while Monica Iheakam of The Sun Newspapers in Lagos was elected the Financial Secretary.
Meanwhile, Mike Oboh, factional Secretary-General of SWAN, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said the re-elected SWAN president Sirawoo for acts inimical to the well-being of the body.
The Port Harcourt and Abuja congresses held contrary to the directive by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), that both events be suspended pending when issues surrounding the conduct of the elections were resolved.
NUJ had earlier threatened to sanction any group that would violate the directive. (Beats-Onit)
