Lagos SWAN Rejects Caretaker Committee, Challenges National Leadership

The Lagos State chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has rejected the three-member caretaker committee appointed by the association’s national leadership, describing the move as an unconstitutional attempt to displace a duly elected executive whose tenure has yet to expire.

In a statement issued on Wednesday and jointly signed by its chairman, Ambassador Olatutu Oladunni, and secretary, Omotunde Bello, the chapter challenged the authority of the National Executive Council (NEC) to replace its elected leadership with an unelected committee.

The controversy followed an October 14 announcement by the SWAN National Secretariat appointing a caretaker committee comprising Patrick Omorodion, Oni Afolabi and Anulika Menanya to oversee the affairs of the Lagos chapter.

The Oladunni-led executive maintained that it was elected on October 9, 2025, at the SWAN Secretariat, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, for a three-year tenure scheduled to end in October 2028.

It insisted that the national leadership could not terminate that mandate through an administrative announcement without following the procedures prescribed by the association’s constitution.

“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 statement read.

The chapter accused the national leadership of overstepping its constitutional authority and demanded that SWAN President Isaiah Benjamin and the NEC identify the specific provisions empowering them to dissolve, suspend or replace an elected state executive.

It also demanded disclosure of the NEC resolution authorising the caretaker committee, including the date of the meeting, the procedures followed and whether the affected officers were given an opportunity to defend themselves.

According to the chapter, the national secretariat’s announcement did not establish that any constitutional process had been completed to remove the elected officers from office.

“The mere announcement of a caretaker committee does not, by itself, establish the constitutional power to displace an elected executive,” it stated.

The Lagos executive further questioned the assignment of responsibilities to the caretaker committee, including the recovery of chapter property, reconciliation of membership records, preparation of inventories and arrangements for future elections.

It warned the committee against taking possession of official documents, financial records, passwords or other chapter assets without establishing lawful authority.

The dispute has also cast uncertainty over a proposed Lagos SWAN congress scheduled for Friday, October 23, which the chapter said was being organised by Omorodion and his associates.

The Oladunni-led executive disputed the caretaker committee’s authority to convene the congress and urged members to verify the constitutional basis of the proposed gathering before participating.

It argued that any valid congress must comply with constitutional provisions governing notice, membership eligibility, quorum and the authority of the convening body.

The chapter consequently called on the national leadership to suspend implementation of the caretaker committee’s appointment pending a proper determination of the constitutional issues involved.

It also asked Omorodion, Afolabi and Menanya to refrain from exercising disputed leadership powers or presenting themselves as the lawful governing authority of Lagos SWAN until the legitimacy of their appointment had been established.

While expressing its willingness to resolve the disagreement through the association’s internal mechanisms, the Lagos executive warned that it would not hesitate to seek judicial intervention if necessary.

“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,” the statement added.

It urged members to remain calm and avoid actions capable of escalating the dispute, insisting that the disagreement should be resolved through constitutional procedures rather than administrative directives.

The chapter maintained that Oladunni remained its elected chairman and that the executive’s mandate would subsist until October 2028 unless lawfully terminated.

“We will not surrender an electoral mandate merely because an alternative leadership arrangement has been announced,” the statement declared.