National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, has criticized the suspension of the union’s operations in Osun State, arguing that Governor Ademola Adeleke lacks the constitutional authority to enforce such a directive.
Governor Adeleke had on Thursday ordered the immediate halt of NURTW activities at motor parks across the state. The announcement was made by Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, after a meeting of the Osun State Security Council chaired by the governor.
According to the statement, the decision was reached after the council reviewed the security situation in the state. The governor also instructed the police to halt the collection of levies by the union in all motor parks across Osun.
The state government further directed security agencies to arrest anyone claiming to be an official or executive of the NURTW at any motor park in the state.
Reacting to the development during a press conference at the union’s national headquarters in Abuja on Friday, MC Oluomo maintained that no state governor has the legal authority to suspend the operations of the NURTW.
Represented by the union’s Deputy National President, Aliyu Ore, MC Oluomo said the NURTW was established by law and had previously won several court cases involving similar actions by state governments.
“Today, we heard that the state governor in Osun suspended the activities of our union, which they don’t have the power to do.
“Not any single state governor has the power to suspend the activities of the union because we are not under any state. There is an Act that established the NURTW.”
He explained that the union has operated without a recognised leadership in Osun for several weeks due to an ongoing factional crisis.
He added that, following the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the national leadership of the NURTW had resolved to constitute a caretaker committee to manage the union’s affairs in Osun ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
“We have MoU with INEC. In view of this, we have to inaugurate the caretaker members who are to mount the leadership of the NURTW pending the time we resolve all issues attached to Osun,” he said.
He announced the caretaker committee, naming Kazeem Oyewale as chairman, Sunday Oludare as secretary, Lukman Ahmed as treasurer, while Ismaila Abdurahim, Adebayo Tajudin, Tajudin Akin and Ayinde Mutiu will serve as members.
MC Oluomo added that the caretaker committee would remain in charge of the union’s affairs in Osun until the leadership crisis is resolved.
