Two Presidents on Monday emerged at separate elective congresses in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and Abuja to pilot the affairs of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports 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 State SWAN Chairman, Ahmed Aigbona, as its president.
Aigbona was removed as Edo State SWAN chairman on July 6, 2016 after he was elected a board member of the Edo State Football Association as he cannot hold two elective offices.
Also elected in the Port Harcourt 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 chapter, 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, 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 were absent at the event in Port Harcourt, while Lagos came with five observers.
“Delegates from Ogun were attacked on their way and as such couldn’t make it to Port Harcourt,” he stated.
Thirty states attended the congress in Port Harcourt, while the Abuja event was graced by aggrieved members of SWAN who vehemently opposed 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.
The immediate-past Vice-President North West, Ado Salisu, emerged Deputy President, while 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 became Vice-President South South, and Ismaila Mohammed from Jigawa was elected as Vice-President North West.
Ikem Asika from Anambra is the group’s Vice-President South East, while Monica Iheajam of The Sun Newspapers in Lagos was elected the Financial Secretary.
Meanwhile, Oboh, factional Secretary-General of SWAN, in a statement on Monday in Abuja said Sirawoo has been suspended.
He explained that Sirawoo was suspended 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 that both be suspended pending when issues surrounding the conduct of the elections were resolved.
NUJ had earlier threatened to sanction any group that violates the directive.
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