By Odogwu Emeka Odogwu
The National Headquarters of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, has given the Anambra State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Comrade Dr Anthony Ugozor, a clean bill to contest for his second term in office come 18 July 2025 if he so wishes.
This was contained in a letter from the national headquarters signed personally by the National President of NUP, Comrade Godwin I. Abumisi, and the General Secretary, Elder Actor Zal, dated 7th April, 2025.
According to the letter, there was no place in the NUP Constitution that forbade Chief Ugozor as Acting Chairman from contesting as substantive chairman, if he so wished whenever such an opportunity arose.
The National Headquarters of NUP insisted that it had no constitutional powers to stop Comrade Ugozor from contesting in the July Election, if he so wished, as only the delegates would determine his fate at the polls.
The letter, with reference number, NUP/NHQ/AS/6/Vol. Vii, read in part: “We refer to your letter and enquiries on the status of the Anambra State Chairman, Comrade (Dr) Anthony Ugozor, and his eligibility to contest and participate in the forthcoming state council elections.
“We want to place on record that the inability of the National Headquarters to conduct Anambra State Elections in 2017 was as a result of a court order that prohibited us from going ahead with the elections as scheduled. The order was served on us a day before the election that status-quo should remain until the determination of the suit.
“With the court pronouncement, the National Headquarters was left with no other option than to allow Dr Anthony Ugozor to continue to act as the Acting Chairman, as nature abhors vacuum. Unfortunately, the suit lasted for more than five years, and as a law abiding organization, we were left with no other option than to abide. The period he served while acting, was neither Dr. Ugozor’s nor the National Headquarters’ making.
“It should be emphasized that these same people that went to court to punctuate the elections, were the same people that turned around now, to question the legality of the same process. You cannot approbate and reprobate at the same time.
“Finally, since there is no place in our Union’s constitution that forbids the Acting Chairman to contest as a substantive chairman if he so wishes whenever such an opportunity arises, we therefore have no constitutional power to stop Comrade (Dr.) Anthony Ugozor from contesting in the forthcoming elections if he so wishes. The delegates will determine his fate at the polls.
“While we appreciate your understanding, accept the assurances of our highest regards”.
The letter from the NUP National Secretariat was sequel to a petition by the Association of Retired Directors of the Anambra State Civil, Service, led by Sir Fidelis C. Ezeike, as chairman, and Sir Azuka Okeke, as secretary, accusing Chief Ugozor of tenure elongation and called for his immediate resignation.
Their petition read: “Unconstitutional elongation of tenure by the Chairman Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Anambra State Chapter (2016-2025) a Clarion call for you to direct the immediate resignation of Chief Dr. Anthony Ugozor”.
They accused Ugozor of not being qualified to contest the forthcoming June election, having overstayed more than 2 terms of 8 years by additional 1 year. They also accused him of usurping powers unconstitutionally and acting with high level of impunity while mismanaging the affairs of NUP.
But the National Headquarters of NUP, after going through the petition and the alleged seven sins of Ugozor, absolved him of any wrong doing.
In his reaction, the substantive NUP Chairman elected, 20th July, 2021, Comrade Ugozor, described the petition as self-serving, petty, parochial, mischievous, callous, baseless and unfounded, targeted only to massage the egos of the writers and nothing else he called for it to be discarded outright.
He added that his only sin was not buying into what he described as the discriminatory classification of Pensioners between retired Directors and other Pensioners, even when retired Directors were unknown to the law, thus, not an entity and of no effect on issues concerning Pensioners’ Union in any way.
