23rd April, 2015
Jethro Ibileke/Benin
The crisis rocking Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, deepened on Thursday, following the emergence of two factional chairmen at the 2015 delegates conference of its Edo State chapter in Benin.
It would be recalled that the national leadership of NLC had on 11 February, 2015, held a botched conference, which later resulted in the emergence of factional executives on 12 March, 2015.
The unresolved crisis later led to the emergence of Ayuba Wabba and Joe Ajaero as factional national Presidents of the union respectively.
The incumbent chairman of the State chapter of the NLC, Comrade Emmanuel Ademokun, was returned unopposed from the Ayuba Wabba faction of NLC, while Eddy Ossai was elected chairman of the Joe Ajaero faction.
The delegates conference were held in two different locations in the Benin.
The Ayuba led faction boasted of 31 affiliates while that of Ajaero claimed to have 16 affiliates of NCL members in the state.
Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole who shunned the Ajaero faction of the NLC, was however represented at the Ayuba Wabba faction by the state commissioner for Labour and Establishment, Didi Adodo.
Speaking to journalists shortly after he was elected state chairman of the Ajaero’s faction NLC, Eddy Ossai said he would work in line with directives from his headquarters in Lagos, adding that his priority would be to pursue issues of workers interest.
Reacting to the comments credited to Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomhole on the NLC crisis, Ossai accused the governor of being biased and taking side with a faction of the Congress.
He was however optimistic that the two factions of the NLC could be united if the leaders come together to encourage unity of the two groups.
On his part, the Ayuba Wabba’s faction Chairman, Emmanuel Ademokun, in his speech, said as far as his group were concern, there is no faction in organized labour. He said those claiming to belong to other faction were not on ground in the state, adding that “three or four unions belong to the other side. By May Day they will fade out.”