Mr. Tolu Babaleye, the counsel to the Tajudeen Baruwa-led faction of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the leadership crisis rocking the union.
Addressing newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, Babaleye urged President Tinubu to prevail on Musiliu Akinsanya, also known as ‘MC Oluomo’, to vacate the union’s national office at Sapele Street, Plot 1236, Garki II, Abuja.
Babalaye said that despite the Court of Appeal’s judgment against Oluomo, he had refused to vacate the union’s national office in Abuja.
He said that the crisis began when Baruwa was sworn in as the president of NURTW under the Constitution of the Union in 2023.
He said that a faction of the union led by Alhaji Najeem Yasin, a former President of the union, being unsatisfied with the results of the election, formed a caretaker committee, and chased the Baruwa-led elected officials from office.
Babalaye said that rather than resort to violence, Baruwa instituted a suit at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria to reaffirm the validity and legality of his presidency.
He noted that the court in its judgment on March 11, 2024, by Justice O.O. Oyewumi, (now of the Court of Appeal), affirmed the Baruwa-led executive and dissolved the caretaker committee.
“Displeased by the judgment of the court, an appeal was entered at the Court of Appeal Abuja, led by the same Yasin, wherein he sought to overturn the decision of the industrial court,’’ he said.
Babalaye noted that the appellate court on November 8, 2024, dismissed the appeal of Yasin and affirmed the judgment of the industrial court.
“To our utmost surprise, the news of the inauguration of Oluomo as the national president of the union was announced in disregard to the decision of the court.
“Several attempts made to get the government to call Oluomo and his group to order had not yielded any result,” he said.
He said that several letters were written to the Inspector-General of Police, the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Minister of Labour and Employment.
“We are therefore using this medium to call on President Tinubu to call Oluomo and his group to order.
“Baruwa is the only legally recognised national president of the union,’’ he said.
Babalaye also called on the I-G and other security agencies to enforce the court judgment.
