JUST IN: No crisis in Abia LG workers union, NULGE tells Gov Otti

The National leadership of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, has told Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, that there is no leadership crisis in the State chapter of the union.

NULGE explained that it is worried about false information being promoted in social media and by some radio stations in Abia State, that the state leadership of the union is in turmoil over who is the authentic state president of the union.

Vanguard gathered that the vice president of the union in the state, Comrade Kenneth Nwasuka, has been laying claims to be the Acting president of the union against the state president of the Abia NULGE, Comrade Ikechi Nwaigwe, whose tenure is still subsisting.

The union said it deemed it necessary to provide clarifications to the Governor and set the records straight without equivocation, that there are no crisis in the Abia state chapter of NULGE.

In a letter signed by the General Secretary of NULGE, Comrade Isah Gambo, the union however, informed the Governor about some complaints received from the national secretariat by some members in the State.

He said that the complaints were concerning the last State delegates conference held in Aba which will usher in a new State Administrative Council ,SAC, members on 30th September 2023, stressing that the complaint has been referred to the appropriate organ of the Union for mediation.

The letter read; “Your Excellency may also wish to know that Abia state NULGE Executive ably led by Comrade Ikechi Nwaigwe is the only recognized executive of the union in Abia state.

“The purported change of leadership by some members of the State Administrative Council and the rumoured existence of an acting president is unknown to the union as only the State Executive Council ,SEC, which is composed of SWC and the 17 LGA Branch Chairmen and Secretaries, and has the power to pass a resolution for the suspension of a State Officer, and such resolution must be approved by National Executive Council (NEC).”

NULGE further told Otti that under its Constitution, disciplinary procedures for officers of the union are guided by Rule 27 and Rule 35 (vii) of the NULGE constitution and are very clear on the powers of SEC and NEC-in-Session in cases of serious misconduct for which a member or official of the union may be fined, suspended or expelled.

“Your Excellency,we may further wish to be appraised that the SEC led by Comrade Nwaigwe hosted key members of NEC including the National President and Secretary, who were on national assignment in Abia state from May 22nd to 24th, during which period they interacted with members of the SWC and NEC and no complaints or presentations apart from matters relating to the elections which the national president personally supervised.

“NULGE, as a Labour movement prides itself as an epitome of democratic governance guided in all actions by its Constitution and by such human and people’s rights and ethos, especially the right of fair hearing, and cannot be part of such arbitrary actions that do not agree with the laws of Nigeria and best labour practices.”

Gambo ,in the letter, added that the national secretariat of NULGE has commenced the investigation towards finding a lasting solution and ensuring the continual peaceful co-existence among all our members in Abia State.

In the letter was equally copied to the Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly, the Secretary to the State Government
Government, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs as well as the Commissioner of Police, Abia State Command.