By Ishaq Dan-Imam, Lokoja
A former Vice President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Zone D, Comrade Tims Ejigah, has described the lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Smart Adeyemi, as a politician with character baggage who lacks the capacity to win an election for any political party.
Ejigah, who was one of Adeyemi’s closest allies during his days as NUJ President and all through the time he began his journey into national politics, disclosed that the Senator had the habit of using and dumping those who assist him, adding that he had no positive records with the NUJ that he served as President for two terms.
The veteran journalist, who spoke to Kogi journalists at the NUJ secretariat in Lokoja, expressed surprise that Adeyemi had joined the Kogi Governorship race, stressing that if elections were to be conducted today, and only journalists were to vote, over 80 percent would vote against the senator.
According to him, he will only be wasting the ticket of any political party that makes the mistake of making him their candidate.
“Whichever party he is struggling to get their ticket, he would be wasting that ticket if he emerges candidate. I am not God, but I say this based on his antecedents of use and dump tactics,” the former NUJ VP said.
“Coming to our profession, if Smart Adeyemi wants journalists, serving, retired or veterans as we call ourselves, to vote for him for anything, he cannot have the majority of votes. That I can tell you. He cannot get the majority of practicing members or members of the union to mobilize for anything he wants. And I am happy most of us have our PVCs,” he added.
Recounting how Adeyemi emerged as NUJ President and how he allegedly cut ties with those that started the journey with him, Comrade Ejigah said, “I was one of the arrowheads of Smart Adeyemi’s activism which culminated into him emerging as the National President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
“It all started in Ibadan in 1997, where he contested as Vice President of the union, Zone D and I also contested the position of National Auditor of the union.
“Every Journalist in the country knows my loyalty and support for him. I want to say without any fear of contradiction that our former president (Adeyemi) is not the type that keeps relationships and I want to say that most of us who were his foot soldiers like the late Ndagene Aku who became NUJ president, Waheed Odusile, former NUJ President, still alive; Victor Oluwadamire, Chair, NUJ Oyo State Council, Dr. Effiong Okon, National Officer/National Trustee, when I was National Auditor; Fred Fabo, former National Deputy President; Abia Onyike, former National Deputy President, and Amos Dunya et al; all would say that the man behaves as if we were not the ones that festered his nets, including a very powerful NUJ unionist, Funke Fadugba.
“This is to give you a background of our support and loyalty to this young man, today, a distinguished senator.”
He said he was one of those who advised the senator, towards his exit as NUJ President, to go to the Senate or House of Representatives instead of aspiring to be the governor with Governor Audu as incumbent because he was a beneficiary of Audu’s governance in Kogi State and that, as God would have it, he became a senator.
Stressing the allegation that Adeyemi uses and dumps helpers, Ejigah stated, “The man is somebody who, when he wants you to do anything for him, can stoop to whatever level to get that thing done and then turn his back after.
“Chairman, you once said there are some people who will drink the palm wine and break the keg so that the keg would not be available for the next person. He fits into that analogy.
“You would remember the various campaigns of calumny by Smart Adeyemi against Audu in the very eyes of the man before he died, calling him emperor and all.”
