By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Comrade Garba Muhammad for President Campaign Council has called on the union?s members to desist from ethnic and regional sentiments in the politics of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), warning that it will spell doom for the union.

The campaign council said it remains resolute on issue-based campaigns aimed at addressing the issues that affect the union and its members.

This was contained in a statement issued on Monday by Comrade Gbenga Fatile, Deputy Director, South-West for Comrade Garba Muhammad for NUJ President and made available to News Express on Monday.

The statement reads: ?Let me state here that no one needs a rambling lecture about the organs and functions of our great union and its affiliates from the Atunbi Campaign organization or any other.

?The Atunbi campaign organisation, to which we here respond, without giving any substantive information, seeks to:

?Cast aspersions on Garba Muhammad, easily the most dynamic and widely acceptable Presidential candidate in the forthcoming Presidential contest through baseless and indefensible allegations of introducing/ promoting ethnic/regional dimensions in the ?wake? (read ?run-up? to the elections.

?Dredging up a supposed?impeachment? an issue long ago disposed of by the very capable Nigerian judicial system (see Suit No: NICN/KD/04/2017) between Comrade Garba Muhammad vs NUJ & 3 ors delivered on 22ndMay, 2018.

?Even at this, the claimant (Garba) opted to resign his chairmanship position when the Congress sought his return to the office.

?The Garba Muhammad NUJ Presidential Campaign Organization makes haste to state that the above postulations are nothing but a manifestation of desperation emanating from fear of a candidate with a well known pedigree for honesty and integrity as well as a record of unimpeachable achievements.

?It is a cheap attempt to influence/attract votes by spreading false narratives from the very pit of hell.

?Comrade Garba Muhammad (GMP) for NUJ Presidential Campaign is still undergoing campaigns and making serious inroads with his power packed manifesto in all the nooks and crannies of the zones, and it must be emphasized that at no point or location has the candidate or his campaign team so much as alluded to ethnic/regional sentiments in his electioneering consultations.

?Panicked purveyors of this false propaganda admit in their write up that Garba Muhammad himself (proudly) claims Kebbi as his State of origin even as he has held several positions in the Kaduna State NUJ and at national level.?

Continuing, the statement says: ?We acknowledge the fact that the GMP campaign continues to gain acceptance all over Nigeria, and that this is enough to send jitters down spines of less endowed candidates who are (predictably) likely to resort to such desperate smear campaigns to draw attention.

?The NUJ as a professional body and trade union has organs/structures which are not ethnically inclined and GMP?s records speak for itself.

?As a member of the NUJ who has held several positions at Chapel, Council and National levels, at no time has Garba Muhammad exhibited any ethnic or religious propensities.

?Additionally, as Chairman Credentials Committee that conducted the Triennial National Delegates? Conference where the present National officers emerged, he was known to be neutral, fair and transparent.

?It is mischievous that the campaign council in question is not predisposed to ensuring that our union is reformed and better positioned to ensure that members? welfare, interest and other core values of the union are protected; rather, the entity stands guilty of ethnic bigotry and regional bias.

?Our stand remains that this election is a contest between members of one family; it is NOT a war. One person will surely emerge winner. There is life after election!

?We however, make haste to warn that our peaceful disposition as stated above should not be misconstrued or taken for granted. We are capable, and ready to return fire for fire from any adversity, real or imagined.

?We reiterate our commitment to our promise that Garba Muhammad, when he emerges President, shall ensure that NUJ organs are wholly independent and devoid of National Secretariat/Officers? interference, a development the other candidates are opposed to.

Equal rights of members must be sustained and respected.

?It will also interest you to know that GMP travelled to Hajj a day after returning with 30 members of the council from an annual capacity building training he initiated with the support of NNPC in Kano, after a proper handing over of the affairs of the council.

?Again he had also organized an ICT capacity building training for 42 members of the council, supported by DIALOGUE Institute and NCC before departing for Hajj.

?The certificate from this training has helped many of our members to scale through screenings and meet up requirement in their various organizations. Staff of the Kaduna State Media Corporation, KSMC, will attest to this facts.

?The Comrade Garba Muhammad for President Campaign Council remains resolute on issue-based campaigns aimed at addressing the issues that affect the union and its members.

?NUJ is a national body with organs and its nationalistic posture is its most cherished attributes which any committed member will promote rather than brand as ethnic colorations and regional sentiments.

?We still refer our esteemed NUJ members and supporters to our candidate?s profile as to positions he held and his score card and challenge the other candidates to make their profiles/positions held as well as their score cards public for scrutiny.

?It is not how long one has been in the system, but how well one has positively impacted on that system!?