NURTW: Baruwa Rejects MC Oluomo’s Presidency

 

The leadership crisis rocking the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) took a dramatic turn yesterday as Tajudeen Baruwa, a claimant to the position of National President, rejected the inauguration of Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, as the new President of the union.

In a statement issued by his legal representative, Mr. Tolu Babaleye, Baruwa described the development as a flagrant disregard for the constitution of the union and the judgments of both the National Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal, which affirmed his leadership.

Baruwa argued that the inauguration of MC Oluomo lacked constitutional backing and was orchestrated by a faction of the union led by a former president, Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin.

According to him, the faction, dissatisfied with the results of the union’s 2023 election, unilaterally set up a caretaker committee, an action which the courts have since declared illegal.

Speaking through his lawyer, Baruwa stated, “From all indications, it appears that a faction sat and decided on its own, having no recourse to the constitution of the union or to the decision and judgment of the court, and selected a random individual as the President of the union.”

READ: MC Oluomo Elected NURTW National President

He revealed that his leadership had been affirmed by a judgment delivered on March 11, 2024, by Justice O.O. Oyewumi of the National Industrial Court, which dissolved the illegal caretaker committee.

The Court of Appeal, Abuja, further upheld this decision on November 8, 2024, dismissing an appeal filed by Yasin and barring him from interfering in the affairs of the union.

Baruwa expressed shock at the news of MC Oluomo’s inauguration, describing it as a blatant disregard for the rule of law and the constitution of the NURTW.

He emphasized that his tenure as President remains valid and legally binding, as confirmed by the judgments of the courts.

“To our utmost surprise, even before this decision of the honourable court could be celebrated by the victorious party, the news of the inauguration of MC Oluomo as the National President of the union was announced in flagrant disobedience of the court’s decision,” he lamented.

Baruwa called on the Attorney General of the Federation to intervene, stating, “We unequivocally declare that Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo, is not and cannot be the National President of the union. We urge all media platforms parading him as such to disregard the claim in its entirety.”

He urged the judiciary not to allow its authority to be undermined, maintaining that the only legally recognised National President of the NURTW remains Comrade Tajudeen Baruwa.