The 11th National Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) ended in fiasco as aggrieved members alleged rigging, while others hijacked and smashed ballot boxes being used to elect incoming executive of the organisation, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
The International Conference Centre, venue of Thursday’s conference, was thrown into confusion as delegates ran for dear lives after some aggrieved contestants and their supporters suddenly became violent, hijacking and destroying ballot boxes while voting was still underway.
The Conference, which began on Tuesday, was organised to elect new leaders for the country’s central labour union following the expiration of tenure of the current executives.
It is not clear yet how the event, which had been peaceful since it began suddenly descended into crisis, but the election for the President of the Union had created tension among delegates and split them along partisan lines.
After the disruption, the Police took over the venue and delegates were sent away, presumably, to protect the facility from being vandalised.
Labour leaders have now reconvened at the NLC headquarters in the Central Business District of Abuja for a meeting, scheduled for 1 p.m., aimed at resolving the logjam.
Three candidates had put themselves forward to be elected as President Waheed Omar’s successor.
They are the General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees, Joe Ajaero; the National President of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Igwe Achese; and National President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria Ayuba Wabba.
For the three deputy president positions, the Non Academic Staff Union is putting forward its General Secretary, Peter Adeyemi, while the General Secretary, National Union of Textiles, Issa Aremu, is contesting unopposed, along with the National President, Nigeria Civil Service Union, Kiri Mohammed.
Speaking at the venue of the aborted conference, the first general secretary of the NLC, Aliyu Dangiwa, said: “It is a shame. A big shame. I feel disappointed. Whoever caused this has done the worst for the labour movement. Whoever was responsible for this should be traced by Nigerian workers for appropriate action. He should be made to pay for this atrocity against the labour movement.”
The secretary of the Steel Workers Union of Nigeria (SEWUN), Comrade K. Kadiri on his part said: “It is a shame. Nigeria Labour Congress, which is supposed to lead by example, has perfected rigging for a particular candidate. It is unacceptable.”
