Tension, Drama as Nigerians in UK Elect New Leader

It was a day of tension, disappointments and drama inside the Nigerian High Commission main hall on Saturday evening, when Nigerians in the United Kingdom elected Babatunde Loye, as the new chairman of the Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom (CANUK).

The association is the umbrella body representing the nearly two million Nigerians living in the UK and all   Nigerian groups and social-cultural organisations.

Delegates from various groups and organisations, who voted during the Annual General Meeting, (AGM) included those from Ijaw National Congress, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Nigerian Council of Elders, Association of Nigerian Academics, Imo State Union and many others, including the Nigerian Community in Northern Ireland.

In the keenly contested election, which some of the past executives described as the “first of its kind,” in that  it was the first time a female (Ronke Udofia) aspirant had contested for  the post and also the first time the elections were conducted over two rounds before  the chairman could emerge.

Loye, who contested on the platform of the Association of African Insurance Professionals UK, polled 46 votes to narrowly defeat Dr. Boma Douglas, of the Nigerian Engineering Forum, (NEF), who had 44 votes.

But prior to that, the election had been a three-horse race between Boma, Loye and Nigerian Women in Diaspora Leadership Forum’s (NWDLF) Udofia. Before the 94 accredited delegates, representing the various organisations were asked to cast their votes, each of the three aspirants was given ten minutes to sell themselves to the audience.

Based on the overall performance delivery, Udofia’s cheerleaders were quite bullish, thinking that their candidate had nailed “it” and that history could be made if CANUK were to elect its first female chairman.

However, that optimism didn’t swing any delegates’ votes, as almost each of the other two candidates’ loyalists couldn’t be bothered with whatever plans she had. Not, surprisingly, then, she could only garner 16 votes , as Loye and Douglas recorded 39 votes each , thus sending the elections into another round . “We’ve never seen this before,” said one of the outgoing executives led by the former chairman, Chief Bimbo Roberts.

There was disappointment and a near collapse of order after the results were announced. While Udofia and her supporters were in shock, those of Boma and Loye and the duo themselves quickly went into last minute politicking , campaigning and lobbying after the electoral committee and the outgoing executives decided  to hold a second round between Loye and Boma.

After the second round of voting, which had now been slightly reduced to 90, after some delegates left the venue, Loye, had the last laugh with just a two-vote margin of 46 to Boma’s 44.

In his acceptance speech, Loye promised to work with his rivals and also said he would accommodate their pre-election promises.

Boma said he had given the election his best and that the loss would not stop him from continuing to serve the Nigerian community.

Udofia, on her part, told the Daily Times that, though disappointed, she accepted it because “this is the outcome the community wants.”