The crisis between the national body of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Lagos State Council chapter has turned to a new dimension.

Leaders of the union in the Southwest have called for the removal of the National President, Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa.

In a letter written to the National Executive Council (NEC) members through the union’s General Secretary in Abuja, the Southwest leaders urged the NEC to set machinery in motion for the removal of the Baruwa, based on the infractions.

The letter titled: ‘Report of continuous violation of the union constitution and misrules of Mr. Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa, the National President NURTW,’ was signed by 20 leaders of NURTW Southwest (Zone II) comprising Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti state councils.

Among those, who signed the letter were former National Senior Assistant Secretary Stephen Falusi; pioneer Lagos State Council Chairman Samuel Jonah; former Ondo State chairman Oba Solomon; former Ogun State Treasurer Alhaji Lukmon Ajuwon; Alhaji Nasiru Komolafe of Osun State council; former Ekiti state Financial Secretary Lateef Balogun; Chief James Ojewunmi from Oyo State council and former Head of Department, National Women Affairs Comrade Bola Lemboye.

Part of the letter reads: “We the former Leaders/Elders of the Union in the South-West met and deliberated on the dictatorship cum continuous violations of the Union Constitution by the President and therefore decided to put an end to these notorious actions before the entire unit will be wiped out of existence.”

The leaders alleged that Baruwa’s overbearing attitude has led to a crisis in most of the southwest states.

The leaders said: “In the advent of this administration, it inherited a complete six working and operational states in the zone and to our dismay, Zone II Council had seriously been factionalised and some states councils have subsequently embraced the Park Management Scheme due to inherent and overbearing attitude and conduct of the President, thereby presently leaving just only two states namely: Osun and Ekiti crisis-free… The president, being a representative of the Zone has not shown the commitment to resolving most of the problems plaguing the zone but instead initiated fresh ones and an example is the self-inflicted crisis in the Lagos State Council orchestrated, planned and adequately funded by the National President of the union himself.”

They accused Baruwa of not giving Lagos State Council Chairman Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya (MC Oluomo) a fair hearing and conducting a proper investigation before punitive actions were taken.

“Even though the President with NAC has supervision in the area of discipline over state councils, such roles do not preclude the President from observing the due process as stipulated under Article 42 (5) XI and XII of the union constitution which stipulates roles for both SAC and SEC this portion of the constitution stipulates “that any elected officer of the union may be removed from office by the organs of the union that elected the affected officer bypassing of a vote or no confidence on him or her provided that two-third majority of the members of the organ voted in favour of the motion to that effect”.

“All extant rules, laws and regulations regarding the discipline of members not to talk of a sitting State Chairman were clearly thrown into the dustbin as it is enunciated in Article 42 (5) and (16) subsection XI and XII of the union constitution,” the leaders said.

They added that Baruwa’s continued stay in the mantle of leadership portends great danger for the union.