Barely a week after assuming office, Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, has been sacked as President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) by the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.
The appellate court, in a ruling delivered on Friday, November 8, affirmed Alhaji Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa as the authentic and legally elected President of the union. The judgment upheld the earlier decision of the National Industrial Court delivered on March 11, 2024, in Suit No. NICN/ABJ/263/2023.
The three-member panel of Justices — Hamma Akawu Barka, Nnamdi Okwy Dimgba, and Asmau Ojuolape Akanbi — dismissed the appeal filed by Najeem Usman Yasin, Tajudeen Agbede, and others, describing it as lacking in merit. The court also awarded a cost of ₦100,000 against the appellants in favour of the respondents.
According to the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment with Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CV/293/2024, the court declared Baruwa as the bona fide and lawfully elected President of the NURTW.
Reacting to the ruling during a press conference in Abuja, Baruwa condemned the purported inauguration of MC Oluomo as the new president, describing it as “a blatant disregard for the rule of law and an affront to the judiciary.”
He stated that the action violated the March 11 and November 8 court judgments, which restrained the faction led by Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin from interfering in the affairs of the union.
Baruwa emphasized that the NURTW operates under a legally approved constitution that outlines clear procedures for elections into leadership offices.
He called on the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation to ensure enforcement of the court judgment “in the interest of peace, order, and respect for the rule of law.”
In a statement issued by the Baruwa-led National Executive Council, the union described the purported inauguration of MC Oluomo as “laughable, illegal, and null and void.”
The statement further noted that MC Oluomo ceased to be a member of the NURTW since March 9, 2021, when he voluntarily withdrew from the union and publicly tore his membership card.
“There is no vacancy in the office of the President of NURTW,” the statement read. “The illegal inauguration is a charade orchestrated by Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, a former president who has already served two terms and now seeks to hijack the union for selfish reasons.”
The Baruwa-led leadership urged all NURTW members nationwide to remain calm and law-abiding while the union pursues legal measures to remove what it called “interlopers” from the organization’s national headquarters.
