The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed Tajudeen Baruwa as the legitimate president of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), cementing his leadership amid disputes within the union.
The appellate court upheld the March 11, 2024, ruling of the National Industrial Court in suit no. NICN/ABJ/263/2023, which recognised Baruwa’s presidency. It dismissed the appeal filed by Najeem Yasin, Tajudeen Agbede and others challenging the Industrial Court’s decision, deeming their case meritless.
In its judgment, issued on November 8, 2024, under Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CV/293/2024, a three-member panel comprising Justices Hamma Barka, Nnamdi Dimgba and Asmau Akanbi declared Baruwa the bona fide and lawfully elected president of the union.
Additionally, the court imposed a fine of ₦100,000 on the appellants, payable to the respondents, as part of its ruling.
This comes after Lagos transport union chieftain Musiliu Akinsanya popularly known as MC Oluomo claimed he was elected NURTW president.
Addressing the press in Abuja, Baruwa expressed outrage over MC Oluomo’s actions, accusing him and his supporters of undermining judicial authority and endangering democracy. He criticised the disregard for the union’s constitution and legal procedures, describing the inauguration as a “charade” orchestrated by former union president Najeem Yasin.
Baruwa emphasised that the courts validated the August 2023 NURTW National Delegates Conference in Lafia, Nasarawa State where his election and inauguration took place. He said that in contrast, they nullified the October 2023 delegates’ conference and the November 2024 election that installed MC Oluomo as president.
According to him, the rulings also barred Yasin and his associates including acting president Aliyu Issa-Ore from interfering in the union’s operations. Furthermore, the NURTW leadership pointed out that MC Oluomo voluntarily withdrew from the union in March 2021, rendering him ineligible for any position within the union under its constitution.
Baruwa asserted that the presidency of the NURTW is not vacant, making the inauguration of MC Oluomo invalid. He called on the Inspector General of Police and the attorney general of the federation to enforce the court rulings and uphold the rule of law.
He urged union members nationwide to remain calm, assuring them that legal measures are ongoing to address the situation.
Baruwa said, “The purported inauguration of Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo, as the President of NURTW is a flagrant disobedience to subsisting judgments of both the National Industrial Court and Court of Appeal delivered on March 11 and November 8, 2024, respectively, which affirmed the election of Alhaji Comrade Ibikunle Tajudeen Baruwa as the legitimate President of the NURTW for a term of four years.
“The action of the Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin-led group undermines the authority of the judiciary and poses a serious threat to democracy.
“It is an undisputable fact that Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya, MC Oluomo, has since lost his membership of the NURTW in line with the Constitution of the union, having voluntarily exited the union on March 9, 2021, during which he publicly tore his membership card.
“There is no vacancy in the office of the President of NURTW, and so the purported and illegal inauguration is to that extent null, void, and of no effect whatsoever.
“This charade, as orchestrated by Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, a former president of the union who has served out his two terms of four years each, is an insult to the judiciary and our democratic institutions.
“We urge the Inspector General of Police to kindly use his good offices in ensuring the enforcement of the court judgment.
“We call on the Attorney General of the Federation to intervene immediately in the interest of peace, order, and tranquillity, and the rule of law.”
The NURTW also appealed to the public to condemn the actions as an attack on democracy and judicial authority, warning against the dangers of unchecked lawlessness.
