NAPTAN crisis deepens as rival factions claim leadership

A leadership crisis is unfolding within the National Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) after rival factions vied for control following the Federal Ministry of Education's suspension of a disputed national election in Abuja. The ministry's NAPTAN Desk Officer, Joseph Achede, instructed the contending parties to cease the election and resume dialogue in light of alleged breaches of the association's constitution.

A faction, loyal to one presidential candidate, departed the meeting while another, loyal to a different candidate, insisted on the congress continuing. NAPTAN's Chairman, Board of Trustees, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, stated that the proposed election contravened the association's constitution, which stipulates elections should be held between April and May.

Furthermore, Ogunbanjo alleged that the ministry questioned the leadership's continued stay, pointing to its 20-year tenure exceeding the constitutional limit of four years. The ministry also raised concerns over alleged imported delegates and a pending court case in Osun State involving one of the presidential candidates, Dr Ekundayo Ademola.

The current outgoing national president, Haruna Danjuma, rejected the ministry's stance, asserting that the association's constitution does not compel the presence of the ministry's representative during congress or election. Danjuma claimed that two of the four candidates were from the South-West, while one each came from the South-East and South-South.

He noted that the association had organized the congress and elected a president-elect, Uche from the South-East, who was subsequently sworn in. This has led to two factions claiming NAPTAN's leadership, with one asserting that a new executive has emerged while the other maintains the election's invalidity.