The National Union of Foods, Beverages and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) has split into factions as its national president, Comrade Lateef Oyelekan, extended his tenure for another two years, after 12 years in office.
Blueprint gathered that the National Industrial Court (NICN) has granted an injunction which restrained the Oyelekan-led faction and the union from conducting the said Emergency Delegate Conference, where the action was taken.
According to a suit no NICN/LA/189/2020; 30 members of the union, for themselves and on behalf of all aggrieved members of NUFBTE, have dragged the union president and 18 others before the National Industrial Court.
The aggrieved members had sought an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants from conducting or holding the planned emergency delegates conference; and from ratifying or giving effect to the purported resolution passed by the National Executive Council meeting of the union on 4 February 2019.
On 19 August 2020, the National Industrial Court, Lagos Judicial Division gave an order of an interlocutory injunction stopping the union from conducting the emergency delegates conference until a substantive suit bothering on the violation of the union’s constitution was resolved.
Presiding judge, Justice I. J. Essien said: “In the light of the above, the two prayers sought in the motion papers are granted as follows: An order of interlocutory injunction is hereby granted restraining the 1st to 18th Defendants/Respondents and all other officers of the 18th Defendants from conducting or holding the planned Emergency Delegates Conference now scheduled for 21st August 2020, the agenda being to ratify the illegal and unconstitutional decision by the 1st to 17th Defendants to postpone the period for the conduct of elections into all elective offices contrary to the provisions of the Constitution of the 18th Defendant, pending the hearing and determination of this suit.”
Addressing a press conference in Abuja Monday, NUFBTE National Signing Trustee Peter Onoja, who emerged as the president of a faction and its general secretary, Comrade Bamidele Busari, called on the federal government and well-meaning Nigerians to help the union out of the crisis.
“Now we have two factions in the house, I am the President of one of the factions. I am the former National Signing Trustee of the union. Our President has served four years as deputy president, 12 years as president, making a total of 16 years.”
He admitted the union’s constitution has no tenure limit, but added that the constitution emphasised that election must hold every four years to choose leadership.
The factional president said: “Our constitution has no tenure limit, you can contest as many times, but the constitution makes it clear that every four years, you must have elections. This year is our conference year and the president wanted to do an emergency delegates conference and the subject matter is only one agenda, tenure elongation. That he wants to elongate his tenure for two years.
“So, some of us feel bad that if the constitution says every four years you must hold the election, even if you want to contest, hold the election, if you win everybody will support you legitimately. But he refused; so we approached the National Industrial Court and on 19 August the National Industrial Court gives an interlocutory injunction that no emergency conference should hold until the determination of the case.”
Comrade Onoja said the union members were surprised to see that on the night of 20 August, they went ahead to hold “a kangaroo emergency conference and came out in the morning to write a letter that some of us are suspended.”
He pointed out that over 25 branches of the union have written to the general secretary and passed a vote of no confidence in his leadership, saying that his tenure has since expired in January this year.
According to him, they were waiting for the court to resume from vacation to pursue the case, while they are taking other steps to end the illegality in the union.
According to him, they have met with the security agencies and also wrote several letters to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige.
He said:”We are begging Nigerians to come to our aid in Food Union because the place has become a one-man business and he does things without recourse to the constitution.”
But the acting general secretary under Comrade Oyenekan-led faction, Comrade Mike Olarewaju, said the union leadership was not properly served the court injunction.
He said: “Our union is still intact, it is only that some people were trying to portray it so. Our union is not in crisis. Our union is guided by our constitution and we have been following the dictate of that constitution meticulously without division.
“Our president is at the end of his third tenure. When he was elected, our union was nowhere, no progress, but with commitment and dedication, he made sure he diversified our union in terms of investments.”
