The Oyo State Correspondent of The Nation Newspapers, Yinka Adeniran, has emerged as the new Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council.
Adeniran was declared winner on Tuesday after polling 31 votes to defeat his closest rival, John Alabi of Silverbird Television, who secured 10 votes in the keenly contested election.
In the contest for the position of Secretary, Rotimi Agboluaje of The Guardian also recorded a decisive victory, scoring 31 votes to defeat Musliudeen Adebayo of Daily Post, who polled 10 votes. One vote was voided in both the chairmanship and secretary elections.
Other members elected into the executive include Remi Koleosho of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as Vice Chairman and Sheu Sulaimon, also of NAN, as Treasurer.
The election, which held at the Correspondents’ Chapel Secretariat, Mokola, Ibadan, was monitored by officials of the Oyo State NUJ Council, led by the state chairman, Akeem Abas. Also in his entourage are the Secretary, Comrade Temidayo Adu; Treasurer, Comrade Moses Morenikeji; and Ex-officio member, Comrade Khalid Imran.
Speaking shortly before the swearing-in of the new executives, the Chairman of State Council, Comrade Abas, commended members of the Correspondents’ Chapel for the peaceful conduct and overall success of the exercise. Describing the poll as one of the best elections conducted in the history of the state council, Abas urged journalists to maintain professionalism, discipline, and ethical standards in the discharge of their duties.
He further charged the new leadership to prioritise the welfare of members while upholding the core values of the journalism profession.
The election marked the first to be conducted and monitored under the Akeem Abas-led state executive, which has been in office for barely one month.
In his acceptance speech, Adeniran expressed gratitude to leaders, elders, and members of the chapel for the confidence reposed in him. He pledged to work with all members to build a united front, restore the professional image of journalism within the chapel, and ensure the protection of members’ interests at all times.
Adeniran assured journalists that the new executives would lead with humility, stressing that they remain members of the chapel first before assuming leadership roles. He also called on members to support the executive to achieve meaningful progress for the chapel and the NUJ as a whole.
Out of the 48 registered members of the chapel, 42 were accredited to vote in the election.
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