NLC clears 3,119 delegates to elect new exco

ALTHOUGH the facts were yet to emerge as at press time yesterday, there were indications that the Wabba Ayuba group tagged “redemption group” has 2,119 out of the 3,119 delegates accredited for the election.

The General Secretary of National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Joe Ajaero and President of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) Wabba Ayuba were the two candidates contesting for the post of president.

The Guardian gathered that there were attempts by some former presidents of Congress to prevail on some of the contestants to step down but such was rejected.

Commenting on the conducts of the delegates, the National President of Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), Kiri Mohammed, said the decision of the elders of Congress to disallow helping delegates that are not literate through the ticking of candidates smacks attempts at putting some of the candidates at some disadvantage.

Mohammed also confirmed that a former Congress President also tried in vain to prevail on his group to step down saying, “we rejected that proposal when it was presented at a meeting this morning (yesterday morning). The redemption group thinks that the election process has gone too far to seek the stepping down of anybody. Besides, we are confident that our group will win the race comfortably.”

But the General Secretary of NLC, Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, said history would not be kind to those that brought NLC into disrepute.

His words: “Those who have dragged the movement into this, I think history will correctly judge them. This is not the first election that the NLC will conduct. The constitution stipulates the process and procedures of going into election. In calling this conference, every aspect of every article of the constitution was adhered to. Notices were sent to unions. What is required of the NLC by the constitution of the NLC is that when you want to call a conference, you will determine on the basis of the stipulation in the constitution the number of delegates that will be allotted to each industrial union.”

While denying knowledge of any union boycotting the election, the NLC scribe declared that such union would only be sleeping on its right. He added: “ Any union that doesn’t want to participate is free to boycott. But the movement can not be held hostage.