An Appeal Court sitting in Abuja has invalidated the election of Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, as the National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). The court's ruling reinstated Tajudeen Baruwa as the legitimate National President of the union.
This development follows a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday, November 8, 2024, by a panel of three justices comprising Justice Hamma Akawu Barka, Justice Nnamdi Okwy Dimgba, and Justice Asmau Ojuolape Akanbi. The court upheld the earlier decision of the National Industrial Court, which had, on March 11, 2024, affirmed Baruwa's re-election.
The appeal, filed under number CA/ABJ/CV/293/2024, was brought forward by Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin and six others against Tajudeen Baruwa and his team of respondents. The appellate court dismissed the appeal, labeling it as lacking merit. It further imposed a cost of N100,000 against the appellants in favor of the respondents.
Justice Hamma Akawu Barka, delivering the lead judgment, declared the election that brought MC Oluomo to power null and void. He noted that the process was not legitimate, referencing the earlier National Industrial Court ruling that invalidated the October 25, 2023, national delegates' conference and the election overseen by acting president Aliyu Issa-Ore.
The March 11, 2024, judgment of the National Industrial Court had declared the May 24, 2023, delegates’ conference that re-elected Baruwa as president valid. It further restrained Najeem Usman Yasin, former president and chairman of the board of trustees, from interfering in the union's day-to-day operations, limiting his role to that of a trustee chairman.
The court also nullified the establishment of the caretaker committee led by Tajudeen Agbede, citing the absence of a crisis that warranted invoking the "doctrine of necessity." It further affirmed the legality of the August 23, 2023, Quadrennial National Delegates Conference, during which Baruwa and other national officers were inaugurated.
The Appeal Court's ruling has significant implications for the leadership structure of the NURTW. MC Oluomo, who had earlier been elected unopposed at the Zone 2 Quadrennial Delegate Conference held in Osogbo, Osun State, on November 9, 2024, now finds his presidency voided.
