...Step Down Or Face Impeachment
The NUJ Warri Correspondents’ Chapel has passed a resounding vote of no confidence in Delta State Council Chairman Churchill Oyowe, slamming him for alleged constitutional breaches that threaten the chapel’s March 16, 2026, election.
At an emergency congress on March 11 in Warri, Delta State, members condemned Oyowe’s actions as undermining democracy and violating the NUJ Constitution 2023 (Amended), which he swore to uphold. The chapel’s communiqué—signed by Communiqué Drafting Committee Chairman Joe Ogbodu, Secretary Onyeka Meleuwa, member Sunny Ariegwe, Chapel Chair Victor Okpomor, and Secretary Edeki Igafe, explained their grievances.
One of the accusations include Oyowe’s unilateral delisting of voters from the register, breaching Article 3:3(g) and disenfranchising eligible members, especially online correspondents recognized under Section 3:2(a). The chapel also charged him with treating the state secretariat like a “personal estate,” making decisions without State Working Committee input (violating Article 5:D(e)), and barring journalists based on location (against Article 5:F3).
“An election is not a screening exercise,” the congress declared, insisting the state council’s role under Article 6:6 is supervision only—not eligibility checks.The motion, tabled by Sun Newspaper’s Joe Ogbodu and seconded by Emma Arubi, passed unanimously among 21 attendees.
The chapel demands Oyowe step aside, resign, or face impeachment for breaching his oath. They urged NUJ national headquarters to block his oversight of the election, reinstate delisted members, clear disqualified candidates, and assign other State Working Committee reps if needed. The chapel recommitted to “defending the rule of law, press freedom, members’ rights, and democratic values” in the NUJ.