Fifteen affiliate unions of the Edo council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have disassociated themselves from the chairman election process that resulted in the appointment of Odion Olaye.
In a jointly signed press release issued in Benin on Sunday, these unions labeled the delegate conference of March 7, 2023, as an act of illegality. They argued that the conference violated a subsisting matter in the National Industrial Court, Abuja, and contravened the congress’ constitution.
The unions lodged a formal petition to the NLC national secretariat on February 28th, 2023, expressing their concerns about Olaye’s actions. They alleged overbearing, intimidating, and bullying behavior exhibited by Olaye, which included disrupting a State Executive Council meeting and interfering with the composition of the Screening Committee. The unions claimed that these actions ran counter to the procedures outlined in Articles 11(2)(vi) and 29(4) of the NLC Constitution, as amended.
An injunction was subsequently filed at the National Industrial Court, Abuja, challenging the violation of NLC’s constitution governing state conferences and elections. Despite the court process being served to the NLC National Secretariat, President, and Secretary General, and their status as parties to the case, the election proceeded in defiance of the pending matter.
According to the protesting unions, it seemed evident that the state government had interfered in the election process by openly supporting Olaye’s candidacy. Olaye, a member and leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State, allegedly resorted to intimidation, harassment, and threats against public sector workers. Workers were allegedly coerced into declaring support for Olaye, with the state government purportedly threatening to transfer them to rural areas or terminate their employment.
The unions further criticized the intrusion of PDP candidates for the House of Assembly at the state conference, which should have been an NLC-exclusive affair. They claimed that if not for the delegates’ immediate rejection, the conference would have transformed into a PDP political rally.
The conference descended into chaos when one of the chairmanship aspirants was disqualified, causing delegates to protest and disrupt proceedings. Violence erupted as thugs attacked delegates, prompting a mass evacuation from the venue with 90 percent of delegates and 15 unions abandoning the event for their safety.
