ANDREW UTULU
LAGOS
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), said that its attention had been drawn to an article titled, ‘MWUN Presidency: Eight Aspirants Jostle To Succeed Adeyanju Amidst Government, Financial Influences’, saying the allegation was false and figments of the author’s imagination.
MWUN in a statement signed by Comrade John Kennedy Ikemefuna, Head Media, MWUN, said the write up was allegedly published by “Ports & Ships” magazine on January 6, 2025.
“While we acknowledged the importance of an informed public discourse on matters affecting our esteemed union, we find it necessary to address the inaccuracies, baseless claims, and sensationalism contained in the said publication,” Ikemefuna added.
He said that first and foremost, it was important to clarify that the Union had only recently lifted the ban on campaigns starting from January 6, 2025, and that forms for aspirant’s to declare their intention to contest were yet to be issued out.
Consequently, he said the publication’s detailed analysis of purported candidates and their alleged strategies were both premature and misleading.
“It is regrettable that “Ships & Ports “, a respectable outlet, would propagate unverified information from a nameless individual, thereby heating up the polity of our union and the entire maritime sector unnecessarily.”
“Secondly, the claim that financial resources and government influences will dictate the outcome of the forthcoming election is both laughable and baseless and we wonder where the writer got his/her information from.
“MWUN remains a democratically run organization guided by its constitution. The Union’s tradition provides for free and fair delegates’ conference, devoid of external interference or monetary inducement. To suggest otherwise undermines the credibility of our electoral process and disrespects the integrity of our electoral processes and disrespects the integrity of our members,” Ikemefuna averred.
He noted that MWUN operates on the principles of equity and unity, adding that the leadership is determined through democratic means, saying that any aspirant’s eligibility would be assessed and determined based on the guidelines enshrined in the constitution and not the speculative and disruptive arguments presented in the said publication.
“We also take exception to the reference to the supposition that MWUN allows the interferences of our past leaders to determine our leadership as this negates the spirit of the foundation of discipline and respect for rules and law which they worked tirelessly to lay and which still drives our objectives.”
