The President, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Mr. Benjamin Isaiah, has described his purported suspension by some members of the association’s National Executives Council (NEC) as illegal, unconstitutional and a mere distraction.
According to the President, the action taken against his person lacks locus maintaining that council and national convention of the association can only be convened by the Secretary General by the order of the President.
SWAN President stated this on Saturday on a popular WhatsApp group “Sports World” during an interview with Mr. Sunday Agunbiade and Mr. Wale Oye.
Recall that some members of the NEC had inaugurated an investigation panel to probe the President after they allegedly suspended him on the ground of misconduct, embezzlement and abuse of office.
But Mr. Isaiah in his part, said he remains the authentic President of the association, adding that the illegal concocted suspension done by his predecessor’s loyalists was a mere distraction as they are appointed members of NEC and lack power to suspend the elected president.
He then vowed to screen out all members of the association that are not Journalists.
“The purported meeting held in Uyo issuing suspension notice in the communique is illegal and anything produced from illegality is a mere distraction.
“Every NEC Meeting, full council and national convention can only be convened by the Secretary General by the order of the President. Imagine, it was just three to four of those people who were not even elected but forced on me by my predecessor gathered somewhere and churned out a communique suspending an elected President.
“In fact,the Vice President has no order wherein the President is fit and fiddle, therefore, those appointees called themselves NEC members suspend an elected President. It was an illegal meeting that produced illegal statements called communique and I remain the authentic President of SWAN.
“I was still in office today to carry out functions and nobody to even near the office,” he declared.
“I have said multiple times that I am a man of Peace, and I am committed to ensuring that there is Peace, what I know is that whatever peace cannot give you, crisis will rather worsen it and I am not cut out for more crisis in the association.
“One of the major causes is outside interference because somebody somewhere might have planted NEC members to ensure that things work to his advantage,and this is primarily what is playing out. He is having an overbearing influence on those set of NEC members who have divided loyalty.
“It is rather unfortunate that even those that were appointed by me, are allowing themselves to be used against the association.
“I can tell you for free that the primary and major cause of this is that somebody somewhere is having an overbearing influence on some of our NEC members.
“We are committed and will not allow anything to distract us, going forward. Our word of advice is that,together we can achieve better results.
“The success of every predecessor is to see that his successor is doing well in office,so when a predecessor is beginning to have sleepless nights, planning what I do not understand,to bring down his successor, certainly you are not a good predecessor.
“Like I said, I am a man of peace and will do whatever it takes to ensure Peace going forward,” the embattled president stated.
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