National Leadership Cannot Arbitrarily Supplant a Validly Elected State Executive with an Unelected Committee
The attention of the duly elected Executive Committee of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Lagos State Chapter, under the chairmanship of Ambassador Olatutu Oladunni, has been drawn to a press release issued by the SWAN National Secretariat on 14 October 2026, announcing the purported constitution of a three-man caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of the Lagos State Chapter.
The Lagos State Chapter unequivocally, categorically and unequivocally rejects this purported appointment as an unwarranted interference in the internal administration of the chapter, an affront to the democratic mandate of its members, and an action whose constitutional validity is seriously disputed.
The National Executive Council cannot simply wish away an existing elected State Executive Committee by announcing a caretaker committee while the elected officers maintain that their constitutionally recognized tenure remains valid and subsisting.
The Lagos State Chapter considers the purported appointment particularly troubling because it was announced notwithstanding the existence of an elected executive that emerged from the chapter's election held on Thursday, 9 October 2025, at the SWAN Secretariat, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
That election was conducted by the SWAN Electoral Committee (SWANECO), and the successful candidates were sworn into office. Ambassador Olatutu Oladunni was returned as Chairman alongside other elected officers for a three-year tenure scheduled to expire in October 2028.
Consequently, as at the date of the National Secretariat's announcement, the Oladunni-led executive maintains that it has approximately two years of its electoral mandate remaining.
The purported appointment therefore raises fundamental questions concerning constitutional authority, the limits of national administrative powers, the protection of electoral mandates, and the rule of law within the Association.
1. THE PURPORTED CARETAKER COMMITTEE IS CONSTITUTIONALLY CHALLENGED
SWAN is a membership-based professional association governed by its Constitution and applicable rules. Its officers and organs are expected to exercise their powers within the limits of the authority conferred upon them by those governing instruments.
The National Executive Council, including the National President and Secretary-General, is not above the Constitution of the Association.
The Lagos State Chapter therefore demands that the National Secretariat identify the precise constitutional provisions under which the NEC claims the authority to dissolve, suspend, displace or supersede a duly elected State Executive Committee whose tenure has not expired.
In particular, the National Secretariat must establish:
The specific article and section of the SWAN Constitution authorizing the establishment of a caretaker committee in place of a serving elected State Executive Committee.
The constitutional procedure, if any, followed before the purported appointment was made.
Whether any competent organ of SWAN lawfully suspended or removed the elected Lagos State officers in accordance with the Constitution.
Whether the elected executive was given notice of the allegations or circumstances relied upon, an opportunity to respond, and the benefit of any applicable disciplinary or dispute-resolution procedure.
Whether the NEC complied with any applicable requirements relating to notice, quorum, voting, resolutions and the exercise of disciplinary or supervisory powers.
These are not trivial administrative questions. They go to the very foundation of the purported committee's authority.
The mere announcement of a caretaker committee does not, by itself, establish the constitutional power to displace an elected executive.
Unless the National Secretariat can demonstrate a lawful constitutional basis and compliance with the applicable procedures, the Lagos State Chapter will continue to challenge the purported committee's legitimacy and authority.
2. AN EXISTING ELECTORAL MANDATE CANNOT BE DISREGARDED AT WILL
The Lagos State Chapter reiterates that its present executive emerged from an electoral process conducted on 9 October 2025.
The election was conducted by SWANECO, and the elected officers were subsequently sworn into office.
The chapter maintains that this electoral mandate remains valid and subsisting until its lawful expiration or until a competent organ of the Association takes a constitutionally authorized action that lawfully affects it.
The National Secretariat's press release of 14 October 2026 does not, on its face, identify any completed constitutional process by which the elected executive was removed from office.
The establishment of a committee for three months cannot automatically extinguish an electoral mandate extending to October 2028.
To permit an unelected committee to displace elected officers without a demonstrated constitutional foundation would undermine the credibility of elections within SWAN and create a dangerous precedent for arbitrary interference in state-chapter administration.
The Lagos State Chapter will not accept the proposition that an elected executive can be rendered irrelevant through an administrative announcement.
3. ABUSE OF OFFICE AND EXERCISE OF POWERS BEYOND CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY
The Lagos State Chapter views the purported appointment as raising serious concerns about the possible abuse of office and the exercise of powers beyond the limits of the National Executive Council's lawful authority.
The National President and members of the NEC are expected to act in accordance with the SWAN Constitution, the legitimate interests of members and the principles of fairness and accountability.
Their offices do not confer an unrestricted power to override electoral outcomes or impose alternative leadership structures without lawful justification.
Where an officeholder exercises, or purports to exercise, authority for which no constitutional foundation exists, or disregards mandatory procedures designed to protect elected officers and members, the propriety and legality of that conduct may properly be questioned.
The Lagos State Chapter therefore calls upon the National President, Mr Isaiah Benjamin, and the members of the NEC to disclose the constitutional and procedural basis of their decision.
The chapter further calls for the immediate suspension of all steps taken to implement the purported appointment pending a transparent determination of the dispute in accordance with the Association's governing instruments.
No officer should use the authority of national office to undermine the electoral rights of members or to impose a new leadership arrangement without demonstrating the lawful authority to do so.
The chapter reserves its right to pursue all remedies available under the SWAN Constitution and the applicable law should the purported committee continue to exercise powers that conflict with the subsisting authority claimed by the elected executive.
4. THE RIGHT TO FAIR HEARING AND PROCEDURAL FAIRNESS
The Lagos State Chapter is concerned that the announcement of a caretaker committee has not identified any disciplinary determination, removal decision or other completed constitutional process by which the elected executive was lawfully displaced.
Where the Association's Constitution requires notice, an opportunity to respond, a hearing, or a prescribed decision-making procedure before an elected officer may be suspended or removed, those requirements must be observed.
The principle of fair hearing is a fundamental safeguard against arbitrary decision-making. Where applicable, section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, also provides important constitutional protection for fair hearing in the determination of civil rights and obligations by courts and tribunals and other bodies within its scope.
The precise application of section 36 to the internal administrative action of a voluntary association will depend on the nature of the decision and the applicable legal framework. Nevertheless, the National Secretariat cannot reasonably expect its actions to escape scrutiny where they allegedly disregard the Association's governing rules or deny affected members procedures to which they are entitled.
The Lagos State Chapter accordingly demands transparency concerning any allegations, findings or resolutions relied upon to justify the purported appointment.
If there is a genuine administrative dispute, the proper course is to address it through the procedures prescribed by the Constitution, not to assume that the existence of a dispute automatically extinguishes the authority of an elected executive.
5. THE PURPORTED COMMITTEE MUST NOT USURP THE FUNCTIONS OF THE ELECTED EXECUTIVE
The National Secretariat's announcement assigns the purported caretaker committee responsibilities relating to the recovery of chapter property, preparation of inventories, reconciliation of members, verification of membership records, electoral arrangements and communication with the National Secretariat.
The Lagos State Chapter does not accept that the assignment of these functions, by itself, establishes the committee's authority to exercise them over the objection of the elected executive.
The National Secretariat must demonstrate the constitutional basis for transferring these responsibilities from the existing elected leadership to an unelected committee.
Until the legal and constitutional dispute is properly resolved, the chapter calls upon the purported committee to refrain from taking steps that could prejudice the rights, records, property, administration or electoral interests of the elected executive and the members it represents.
Any demand for the transfer of official property, records, passwords, financial documents or other chapter assets must be supported by lawful authority and handled through a transparent and properly documented process.
The Lagos State Chapter remains committed to the responsible preservation of SWAN property and records. It rejects, however, any attempt to use the language of asset recovery or administrative stabilization as a substitute for establishing the constitutional validity of the committee's appointment.
6. THE PROPOSED CONGRESS OF 23 OCTOBER 2026 IS DISPUTED
The Lagos State Chapter has also been informed of the proposed congress reportedly called by Mr Patrick Omorodion and his associates for Friday, 23 October 2026.
The chapter disputes the authority of the purported caretaker committee to convene or conduct any congress on behalf of Lagos SWAN while its appointment and claimed authority remain contested.
The validity of any such congress must be determined by reference to the SWAN Constitution, the applicable notice requirements, the authority of the convening body, membership eligibility, quorum and the prescribed procedures for conducting congresses.
The mere designation of a gathering as a congress cannot cure a lack of constitutional authority to convene it.
Accordingly, the Lagos State Chapter calls upon members to exercise caution and to verify the constitutional authority for the proposed gathering before participating in any proceeding purportedly undertaken in the name of the chapter.
This position is not intended to prevent lawful participation in the affairs of SWAN. It is intended to prevent members from being drawn into an exercise whose legal and constitutional foundation remains disputed.
7. NATIONAL LEADERSHIP MUST RESPECT THE AUTONOMY OF STATE CHAPTERS
A national association can function effectively only where its national organs and state chapters respect the Constitution, the rights of members and the legitimate authority of properly elected officers.
The supervisory powers of a national body, where conferred by its Constitution, must be exercised within the scope and limits of that authority.
They must not be interpreted as an unrestricted licence to replace elected state officers whenever disagreements arise.
The Lagos State Chapter therefore rejects any suggestion that the National Executive Council possesses an inherent or unlimited power to impose a caretaker administration without complying with the Association's governing rules.
If the National Secretariat believes that there are outstanding administrative issues in Lagos SWAN, it should identify those issues, disclose the applicable constitutional provisions, and pursue a lawful resolution that respects the rights of all affected members.
The chapter will not accept the use of administrative convenience as a justification for disregarding the electoral mandate of its members.
8. OUR FORMAL DEMANDS
In view of the foregoing, the duly elected Executive Committee of SWAN Lagos State Chapter hereby:
1. Rejects the purported constitution and appointment of the three-man caretaker committee announced by the National Secretariat on 14 October 2026, pending the establishment of its constitutional validity.
2. Demands that the National Secretariat identify, in writing, the precise provisions of the SWAN Constitution relied upon to justify the appointment and the purported displacement of the elected executive.
3. Demands disclosure of the relevant NEC resolution, including the date of the meeting at which the decision was taken and the applicable procedural basis for that decision, subject to legitimate confidentiality requirements.
4. Calls upon the National President and NEC to suspend implementation of the purported appointment pending a proper constitutional determination of the dispute.
5. Calls upon Mr Patrick Omorodion, Mr Oni Afolabi and Ms Anulika Menanya to refrain from representing themselves as the lawful governing authority of Lagos SWAN or exercising disputed powers on behalf of the chapter until the basis of their appointment has been lawfully established.
6. Disputes the authority of the purported caretaker committee to convene the proposed Lagos SWAN congress scheduled for 23 October 2026, unless and until its authority is established in accordance with the Constitution.
7. Reserves the right to initiate appropriate legal proceedings to protect the electoral mandate, organizational interests, property and lawful administration of the Lagos State Chapter.
8. Calls upon all members of SWAN to remain calm, uphold professional discipline and refrain from conduct capable of escalating the dispute or disrupting the Association's activities.
9. OUR ELECTORAL MANDATE REMAINS THE CENTRAL ISSUE
For the avoidance of doubt, Ambassador Olatutu Oladunni remains the Chairman of the elected Lagos State Executive Committee, which maintains that it was validly elected on 9 October 2025 for a three-year tenure ending in October 2028.
The chapter does not accept that the National Secretariat's press release of 14 October 2026, without more, lawfully extinguishes that mandate.
The National Executive Council must demonstrate its authority under the SWAN Constitution and establish that all applicable procedures were followed.
The Lagos State Chapter is prepared to defend its position through the Association's prescribed dispute-resolution mechanisms and, where necessary, before a court of competent jurisdiction.
We will not surrender an electoral mandate merely because an alternative leadership arrangement has been announced.
We will not accept administrative fiat as a substitute for constitutional authority.
And we will not recognize any purported transfer of the chapter's governing powers unless its legality and constitutional validity can be established.
CONCLUSION
The crisis confronting Lagos SWAN must not be resolved by measures that deepen division, weaken democratic accountability or undermine confidence in the Association's electoral processes.
The solution lies in adherence to the Constitution, transparency, fairness and respect for the rights of members.
We therefore call upon the SWAN National Secretariat to reconsider its position, suspend implementation of the purported caretaker committee and engage the elected Lagos State Executive Committee through the appropriate constitutional channels.
The Lagos State Chapter stands firmly for constitutionalism, democratic accountability, the rule of law and the protection of the electoral mandate of its members.
An elected mandate cannot be displaced merely by proclamation. Constitutional authority must be demonstrated, not assumed.
Signed:
Ambassador Olatutu Oladunni
Chairman, SWAN Lagos State Chapter
Omotunde Bello
Secretary, SWAN Lagos State Chapter
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