NLC Elections: Matters arising

It is no longer news that the Nigeria Labour Congress had a tempestuous election weekend which has divided the union. Those who won various posts commended the process, describing it as transparent and fair, while those who lost said the whole process was a sham.Comrades in the latter category, led by Joe Ajaero, General Secretary […]

It is no longer news that the Nigeria Labour Congress had a tempestuous election weekend which has divided the union. Those who won various posts commended the process, describing it as transparent and fair, while those who lost said the whole process was a sham.
Comrades in the latter category, led by Joe Ajaero, General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), who lost the presidential position to Comrade Ayuba Wabba of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), have since issued a statement, vowing to organize another election Saturday for all the positions contested  
The election was actually a rerun of a botched attempt around the same time last month, after aggrieved voters, close to the end of voting, destroyed ballot boxes and papers, claiming there was an attempt to rig the election.
Incidentally, the voters who detected the “fraud” were members of NUEE. Over 23 unions had cast their votes and over 400 members of NUEE had voted without any complaints before the few ones left on the queue raised the alarm.
They said Wabba’s name appeared more than once in some ballot booklets. Wabba responded that it was an act of desperation by a “sore loser.”
Voting in the latest election started exactly 5:23 pm Thursday, ending by 3:13 Friday morning while counting started Friday 11 pm, lasting into early Saturday morning after which returning officer, Dangiwa Aliyu, who is pioneer general secretary of the NLC, declared Wabba winner with 1, 695 votes against Ajaero’s 1, 400 votes. Three thousand, one hundred and nineteen delegates were accredited to vote.
For the three deputy presidents’ positions, Adeyemi Peters of the Non-Academic Staff Union Of Nigeria (NASU) with 1,604 votes, Kiri Mohammed of Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU) with 1,610 and Najeem Yasin of the National Union Of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) with 1,818 emerged victorious. Those who lost in that category were Issa Aremu of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers Of Nigeria who scored 1,112 votes and Igwe Achese of National Union Of Petroleum And Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) with 1,283 votes.
All four positions for vice presidents were returned unopposed. The officials are Adelegan Solomon of the Amalgamated Union of Public Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, Asuguni Amechi      of National Union Of Civil Engineering Construction Furniture and Wood Workers, Lawal Dutsinma of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses And Midwives and Oyelekan Lateef of the National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees. A contestant, Nted Anthony of the Maritime Workers Union stepped down.
Khaleel Ibrahim of the National Union Of Local Government Employees was returned unopposed as treasurer.
For the position of trustee, Isok Boniface of the National Union of Chemical Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Employees with 1,803 defeated Otu Kelechi of the Metal Products Senior Staff Association of Nigeria who scored 1063 votes.   
Safiyanu Mohammed of the National Union Of Air Transport emerged victorious for the post of Financial  Secretary with 1,769 votes, defeating Danjuma Musa of the National Union Of Banks, Insurance And Financial Institutions Employees who scored 1,119 votes.         
Eight people contested for the three slots available for auditors with Nchaver Simeon of the Agric and Allied Employees of Nigeria with 1,382 votes, Leke Success of the National Union of Hotels and Personal Services with 1,420 votes and Yemisi Bamgbose of the Radio, Television and Theatre Workers Union with 1,542 votes emerging victorious.
Those who lost were Alhassan Sunday of the National Union of Post and Telecommunication Employees with 209 votes, Danjuma Papa of National Union of Printing and Publishing and Paper Products Workers with 900 votes, K. S. Ogbaloi of National Union of Shops and Distributive Employees with 138 votes, Okoro R.B of the National Union of Railwaymen with 717 votes and Yahaya Yashi of the Nigeria Union of Civil Service Secretariat and Stenographic Workers who got 760 votes.                
Amina Danesi of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions together with Comfort Oko of the National Association of Academic Technologists were returned unopposed as ex-officio members.
When contacted over claims that the elections were rigged to favour him, Wabba told Daily Trust that NLC election “has never and could never be rigged.” He said “even during the military era” no individual or government was able to install a candidate to head the NLC; “It is all about selling your manifesto to the delegates.”
Wabba added that “election was held in the full glare of the public. Labour veterans, journalists and security personnel were there, how could you rig an election whose processes were open for all to see? The same people who disrupted the first attempt tried to disrupt this one too but the presence of security forces thwarted that.
“They were using money to buy the delegates but in the history of the NLC, money has never been able to buy positions even during the military era. Veterans were there (Eagle Square) and Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, first president of the NLC, satisfied with the result, swore me in.”
But in a swift reaction, Ajaero and his group made up of 18 unions not only rejected the result but copied a press statement detailing their position to critical labour stakeholders. The statement was signed by Joe Ajaero, Igwe Achese of NUPENG and Issa Aremu of garment and textile workers union.
The aggrieved unions are National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), National Union of Petroleum & National Gas (NUPENG), National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institution Employees (NUBIFIE), Metal Products Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (MEPROSSAN), National Union of Post and Telecommunication Employees (NUPTE) and National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Workers (NUPPROW).
Others are National Union of Shop and Distributive Employees (NUSDE), Nigeria Union of Civil Service Secretariat Stenographic Workers, Nigeria Union of Mine Workers (NUMW), Nigeria Union of Railway Workers (NUR), Steel & Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria (SEWUN), Iron & Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ISSAN), Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and financial Institution (ASSBIFI), Nigeria Welders and Filters Association, Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions, Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria and the Lottery Workers Union.
The group resolved to “forge ahead under the banner of NLC” and in line with the provision of congress, is “reconvening a special delegates’ conference come Saturday March 21, 2015 in Lagos based on equal representation of affiliate unions.”
But the General Secretary of the NLC Comrade Peter Ozo-Eson has called on those defeated to accept their fate and not be agents of destabilization.
Ozo-Eson, who made the call in a statement, said “it has been brought to the attention of the Nigeria Labour Congress that a group of individuals driven by inordinate ambition and vain glory have scheduled a so-called delegates’ conference in Lagos in the coming weeks.”
He advised affiliate unions of NLC to ignore any invitation to any purported conference, saying the process that brought the new leadership to power was free, fair and credible under the watchful eyes of unions, delegates, invited guests, veterans and members of the media.
“The processes leading to the elections and the elections themselves were manifestly transparent, incontestable and unimpeachable. All the contestants and their delegates voluntarily lent and submitted themselves to the electioneering/voting processes.
“At no time, from the commencement of the accreditation of delegates to the voting, counting of votes and announcement of results was any a complaint raised or lodged. Congress therefore finds it necessary to advise that individuals should resist the temptation to be used as agents of factionalisation or destabilization of the congress.”
Keen observers believe that in the days to come, the conflict will inflict a huge blow to the unity of the NLC and will affect its ability to tackle government on some of its perceived anti people policies.
A senior union leader who does not want to be mentioned told Daily Trust “that some people have managed to use ethnicity to cause confusion in the NLC. Never in the history of NLC had ethnicity been manipulated to gain votes. I have faith in the ability of the NLC to reunite; it may take a while but we will definitely overcome. The institution is greater than all of us.”
It is left to be seen how this will work out but Wabba who has already been sworn in, told Daily Trust that “there is no winner no loser; all of us must work together by ensuring that we put Nigerian workers and people first in whatever we do.”
Speaking on how he will restore unity to the congress, he said “we will appeal to their conscience to join hands with the Nigerian workers in the quest for a better society.”