BREAKING; Your Presidency is illegal – NURTW rejects MC Oluomo inauguration as Union President

The leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), under Alhaji Ibikunle Tajudeen Baruwa, has strongly condemned the recent inauguration of Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya, better known as MC Oluomo, as the union’s president, calling it a clear breach of multiple court orders.

At a press conference in Abuja, Baruwa described the inauguration as “illegal, null, and void,” citing court rulings from both the National Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal, which had affirmed his election as the legitimate president of the NURTW.

Baruwa expressed his shock at the actions of MC Oluomo and his supporters, accusing them of undermining the authority of the judiciary and threatening the stability of the union.

He said the inauguration, which he described as a “charade,” had been orchestrated by former NURTW president Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, who, along with his associates, had been stripped of any authority to act on behalf of the union by the courts.

The courts had upheld the results of the union’s National Delegates Conference in August 2023, held in Lafia, Nasarawa State, which led to Baruwa’s election and inauguration.

In contrast, the October 2023 delegates’ conference, which led to MC Oluomo’s controversial election in November 2024, was annulled by the courts. The judiciary also ruled that Yasin and his allies, including acting president Aliyu Issa-Ore, had no right to interfere in union affairs.

Baruwa further pointed out that MC Oluomo’s voluntary withdrawal from the union in March 2021 disqualified him from holding any office, according to the NURTW constitution.

He stressed that the position of president was not vacant, rendering the inauguration of MC Oluomo as president entirely illegitimate.

Calling for the enforcement of the court rulings, Baruwa urged the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation to take action to uphold the rule of law and protect the integrity of the union.

He also appealed to union members across the country to remain calm, reassuring them that legal efforts were ongoing to restore order and rightful leadership.

The NURTW leadership also appealed to the public to denounce what it described as an affront to democracy and the judicial process, warning of the dangerous precedent it would set if such lawlessness went unchallenged.

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.

“We appeal to all members of our great union across the country to remain calm as we explore every legal means towards ejecting the Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin-led interlopers from the NURTW national headquarters.

“We urge the general public to condemn, in totality, this affront on our democracy.”