The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday broke into two factions following the emergence of Dr. Ayuba Wabba of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria as the new president of the congress.
He had defeated Comrade Joseph Ajaero of the National Union of Electricity Employees by 1, 695 of the 3115 votes cast at Friday’s rescheduled National Delegates Conference of the NLC in Abuja.
Ajaero polled 1,140 votes but vehemently disputed the result declared by the returning officer and pioneer General Secretary of the NLC, Dangiwa Aliyu.
Elected as deputy presidents were Adeyemi Peters, Kiri Mohammed and Najeem Yasen.
Comrades Issa Aremu and Igwe Achese who had also been defeated in the race for NLC deputy president teamed up with Ajaero to rubbish the election.
They branded the process as faulty and reminiscent of the earlier delegates’ conference that was aborted last month.
The Restoration Group as they called themselves, accused the former NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar of engineering the emergence of Wabba and rejected the outcome of the election.
The group fixed Saturday, March 21 for a special delegates’ conference in Lagos for the purpose of electing a new NLC leadership with a view to “restoring the credibility of the congress.”
Ajaero, addressing reporters on behalf of his group, said the special delegates’ conference would prove to Nigerians that the congress has the capacity to organise credible elections.
He said what transpired in Abuja on Friday through yesterday morning negated trade union tradition.
He said the group had already reached out to majority of industrial unions to participate in the Lagos special delegates’ conference.
43 of such unions, he said, would be represented by 10 delegates each.
Also speaking, the General Secretary of the National Union of Textiles, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, Issa Aremu, said their decision was not to divide the NLC, but to make it stronger and more united.
Aremu, who lost the position of Deputy President said: “Disagreements, contestations are part of our heritage and tradition. Nigeria Labour Congress is made up of industrial unions. NLC also has rules and when rules are violated, members are encouraged to fight it and restore proper rules. That is exactly what we are doing.
“What we are doing here is saying that the rescheduled election has followed the same pattern of the first one. Less transparent, cumbersome and the results not acceptable to us and we are doing so as bona fide members of Nigeria Labour Congress.
“We are bona fide affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress and what we are doing here is purely constitutional. The election was an illegal election and we said that our polling agents are not signing and the results are not binding on us. If you look at our constitution, it allows for special delegates conference called by CWC and NEC members.
“These are NEC members and CWC and we have convened one to come up next Saturday so that we will have a proper election that will reflect our tradition.
“Don’t forget that we have done this before. The election that brought Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in 1999 was a special delegates’ conference after a long period of military rule and in that election, we allowed for equal delegates.
“That is what we are doing now and save our union from anti- democratic forces and our comrades who do not want to follow rules and want to have short cut to leadership and have leadership without responsibility. We are not just looking for positions; we are also willing to serve the Nigerian worker.”
Aremu said that the meeting condemned what he described as the meddlesome role of the immediate past President, Abdulwahid Omar in the election, adding that once the house has been dissolved, he should not be seen on the floor sorting out ballot papers with a view to putting his favoured candidate in power.
However, NLC Secretary General Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson said in a statement yesterday that the Friday election could not have been more successful and transparent.
Ozo-Eson, in the statement entitled “Do not be agents of destabilisation,” dismissed Ajaero and his group as individuals driven by inordinate ambition and vainglory.
He advised affiliate unions of the congress to ignore invitation to a fresh delegates’ conference, saying: “The processes leading to the elections and the elections themselves were manifestly transparent, incontestable and unimpeachable. All the contestants and their delegates voluntary lent and submitted themselves to the electioneering/voting processes.
“At no time, from the commencement of the accreditation of delegates to the voting, counting of votes and announcement of results was any complaint raised or lodged.
“Congress therefore finds it necessary to advise that individuals should resist the temptation to be used as agents of factionalisation or destabilisation of the Congress. The Congress is bigger than any of us”.
Dr. Ozo-Eson also announced the conclusion of the Delegates Conference with the election of Comrade Ayuba Wabba, President; Comrades Peters Adeyemi, Kiri Mohammed and Najeem Yasin, Deputy Presidents; Comrades Asuguni Amechi, Dutsinma Lawal and Oyelekan Lateef as Vice Presidents (un-opposed) and Khaleel Ibrahim, National Treasurer (un-opposed).
Also elected were Comrades Boniface Isok (Trustee); Safiyanu Mohammed (Financial Secretary); Anchaver Simeon (Auditor), Leke Success (Auditor), Yemisi Bamgbose (Auditor); Amina Danesi (Ex-offcio) and Comfort Oko (Ex-officio).
They are to run the affairs of the Congress for the next four years.
He said that “accreditation of delegates (3119) from all the affiliate unions of the Congress commenced on Thursday, March 12, 2015 at Eagle Square after which voting commenced in the full glare of delegates and invited guests and veterans of the Congress.
“The election of the members of the National Administrative Council (NAC) of the Congress brings to a conclusive end the 11th Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
“Congress wishes to express its appreciation to unions, delegates, invited guests, veterans and members of the media for keeping faith in spite of the grueling hours the process took.”
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