The leadership tussle within the Edo State Council of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has taken a new turn following the resignation of Mike Ochei, a member of the caretaker committee.
Naija News reports that Ochei, who also serves as the state chairman of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, announced on Sunday that he was stepping aside from the Prof. Monday Igbafen–led caretaker team inaugurated by the national NLC on August 28.
According to Punch, Ochei said, “I am the state chairman of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers, and we called a meeting last week where members of my union said they don’t want to be part of that arrangement, and I should step down. I have since stepped down from the caretaker committee.”
The union leader claimed he was coerced into the committee and accused the panel of being structured to protect the interests of “disgruntled elements” in the congress.
“I was never interested. The committee was set up to favour some disgruntled elements in the union to continue to remain in power by proxy, which is not in the best interest of the state NLC,” he said.
Reacting to Ochei’s exit, the Acting Chairman of the Edo NLC, Bernard Egwakhide, described the move as proof that the committee lacked legitimacy.
Egwakhide said, “It just shows that the national president of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, is trying to force leaders on us. We are all on the same page in the state. Professor Igbafen, whom Ajaero brought, has never attended any of our meetings before; he has never been part of the NLC in the state; he was picked. We have one formidable union in the state.
“Ideally, if a new leadership comes up, they call a SEC meeting to know if they are accepted but till now, they have not been able to do that because they know that they have not been accepted. The National Secretariat is just threatening unions that they must listen to him, and that is not the way to go.”
But the caretaker chairman, Monday Igbafen, dismissed Egwakhide’s position and argued that Ochei was forced into resignation.
Igbafen said, “Comrade Ochei was threatened with impeachment, and that was why he resigned. These people who are parading themselves as the NLC leaders in the state, can they attend the NLC NEC meeting? Definitely no. We have been saying there is no need to escalate the crisis in Edo. The two factions had issues, which is why our committee was set up to reconcile. They are just inciting members of the union against their leaders.
“These same people are also feeding the government with information that is not correct. We have been reaching out to every member of the union because we are supposed to be one body. Our mandate is to resolve the crisis and unite every union in the state.”
The Edo NLC crisis escalated in late August after the national body, led by Joe Ajaero, dissolved the Egwakhide-led state executive and installed the Igbafen caretaker committee.
The decision drew stiff opposition from the Edo State Government and the State House of Assembly, which passed a resolution urging the NLC to recognise Egwakhide’s leadership.
The post Edo NLC Crisis Deepens As Caretaker Member Resigns appeared first on Naija News.
