ADELEKE’S NURTW DIRECTIVE BREACHES THE CONSTITUTION, SAYS OSUN APC
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By:Tajudeen Aminat
The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned Governor Ademola Adeleke’s directive suspending the activities of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) across the state, describing the order as unconstitutional and beyond the governor’s powers.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the opposition party argued that the governor lacked the legal authority to suspend the operations of a registered association or direct security agencies to arrest individuals claiming to be NURTW officials.
Governor Adeleke had, after a security meeting, instructed the police and other security agencies to immediately halt all NURTW activities in Osun and arrest anyone presenting themselves as executives or officials of the union at motor parks.
The directive came ahead of the decision by the Osun State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), aligned with the APC, to establish caretaker management committees for transport unions as part of efforts to restore order following the union’s leadership crisis.
According to the APC, the recent leadership dispute within the NURTW prompted local government authorities to suspend the union’s leadership and transport union activities in the state pending consultations with its national leadership.
The party stated that the chairmen of the 30 local government councils and the Ife-East Area Office, Modakeke, met with transport unions, including motorcycle and tricycle operators, and agreed to constitute caretaker management committees until substantive state leaders emerge.
The APC accused Governor Adeleke of interfering in the internal affairs of a legally registered association and questioned the quality of legal advice available to the state government.
It maintained that the governor’s directive violated Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which guarantees citizens the right to freedom of association.
“The latest illegal directive issued by the outgoing Governor Adeleke dabbling into the affairs of the management of the motor parks by the NURTW across the state, which is an association duly registered, puts to question the quality of those offering legal advice to the embattled governor,” the statement read.
The opposition party expressed confidence that security agencies would not enforce what it described as an unlawful order, insisting that disputes involving the union should be resolved through the courts rather than executive directives.
To support its position, the APC cited a Court of Appeal judgment involving the Oyo State Government and the NURTW, which declared Governor Seyi Makinde’s 2019 suspension of the union’s activities unlawful and unconstitutional.
According to the party, the appellate court ruled that while state governments have the responsibility to maintain law and order, such powers must be exercised within the confines of the law and cannot be used to suspend the activities of a registered association without legal backing.
The APC further noted that the court held that allegations of violence alone were insufficient grounds to suspend the union, stressing that any unlawful conduct should instead be addressed through the appropriate security agencies and judicial processes.
The party urged Governor Adeleke to immediately reverse the directive, describing it as “repugnant, ultra vires, illegal, overreaching and grossly unconstitutional,” while insisting it would not survive judicial scrutiny if challenged in court.
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