The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ondo State chapter, is currently enmeshed in a leadership crisis following the emergence of two persons as chairmen of the union.

The two claimants to the chairmanship seat are Comrade Victor Amoko and Comrade Olapade Ademola.

Comrade Ademola was elected on Thursday at a special meeting of the Ondo NLC State Executive Council (SEC), attended by 22 affiliate unions and presided over by the NLC Vice Chairperson, Comrade Busola Adewumi.

According to the affiliate unions, the election became imperative because Comrade Amoko had retired from service.

However, Amoko said he remained the Ondo NLC Chairman because he was still in active service.

Amoko disclosed that the state government approved an extension of service for teachers in the state, but that some leaders said he would not be NLC Chairman while in extended service.

He said, “I am not retired. In Ondo, the governor granted an elongation of service of which I am a beneficiary. They said they would not allow me to use the elongation as NLC Chairman.

“I still pay my dues during this time, and it is the payment of my dues that makes me a NLC member. They wrote to the NLC national body on my issue, but I got no reply. I am still the chairman. I have not received a letter to tell me I have been replaced. I know the government still recognises me as NLC Chairman.”

Meanwhile, other affiliate unions, such as the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), which boycotted the meeting where Ademola was elected, have declared the election null and void.

The unions said Amoko remained Ondo NLC chairman, as spelled out in the body’s constitution.

Ondo NULGE President, Comrade Federick Akinrinola, who spoke on behalf of the unions, said the election of Ademola was an aberration and a violation of the NLC constitution.

Comrade Akinrinola said the 300 affiliate unions would not recognise Ademola as its chairman.

“Our demand is that the kangaroo election be illegal. We are totally against the illegality. It is an aberration.

“It is not a matter of bye-election but of constitution. Who can hold forth in the absence of the chairman? It is the Vice Chairman.

“The election is illegal, and we will not recognise the new chairman. Other affiliates will not recognise him. The national body of the NLC was not present in their kangaroo election.

“If they do not do the needful, the NUT, NULGE, and other affiliates will leave the NLC.

“Their antics are that Amoko should go on retirement, but former President Buhari approved service elongation for teachers, and the Ondo State government has adopted it. We still have the NLC chairman. NLC is a well-structured union throughout the federation. The constitution states clearly that in the absence of a chairman, only the vice chairman can summon a SEC meeting.

“The person who sums up that is Vice Chairman, NLC Women Wing. The woman is not eligible. Since the NULGE, NUT, and other affiliates know that the meeting was not properly summoned, we decided to boycott the meeting.” (The Guardian)

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