The rescheduled Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, election has produced Dr. Ayuba Wabba of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria as the 6th national president of the umbrella body.
However, Wabba’s major opponent, Comrade Joseph Ajaero of the National Union of Electricity Employees has rejected the outcome of the election, alleging that it was schemed in favour of the elected president.
The result of the election, which began 8:am on Thursday was announced at about 3:30am at the Eagles Square, Abuja, venue of the rescheduled 11th delegates’ conference of the NLC.
Announcing the results, the returning officer and pioneer General Secretary of the NLC, Dangiwa Aliyu proclaimed Wabba the winner of the election, having polled 1, 695 votes of the 3,115 votes cast against his main rival, Joe Ajaero who polled 1,140 votes.
It would be recalled that 3,119 delegates from 43 affiliate unions of the NLC were accredited for the election.
Aliyu also declared Adeyemi Peters, Kiri Mohammed and Najeem Yasen as Deputy Presidents, having defeatedIssa Aremu, and Igwe Achese respectively.
However, Ajaero, Aremu and Achese rejected the outcome of the elections, alleging that the entire process was faulty just like the aborted delegate conference, which was disrupted by the same group.
The Ajaero group, which contested the election under the Name Restoration Group said they would not respect the outcome of the election, accusing the former President, Abdulwahid Omar of favouring Wabba above all other contestants.
While rejecting the election, the group stated that it would be organising a parallel delegates’ conference in Lagos on Saturday, March 21 for the purpose of electing a new leadership for the union.
Speaking in Abuja few hours after the announcement of the results of the election, Ajaero said, “The events of the last one month seem to have troubled our mind so much because that is not a trade union tradition”.
He said that they had already gotten across to members of the unions to participate in the special delegates’ conference, pointing out that all the 43 industrial union would be allocated 10 delegates each as provided for by the constitution of the congress.
However, General Secretary of National Union of Textiles, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, Issa Aremu said that the happenings in the congress were not meant to divide the NLC, but to make it stronger and more united.
Aremu, who lost the position of Deputy President said “disagreement, contestations are part of our heritage and tradition. Nigeria Labour Congress is made up of industrial unions. NLC also has rules 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 elections have 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 so they are not binding on us. If you look at our constitution, it allows for special delegate 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”.
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