Edo NLC sacks Obaseki’s ally, appoints new acting Chairman

The Edo State chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has removed Comrade Odion Olaye from his position as state chairman.

The decision was reached on Monday evening, and Comrade Bernard Joman was immediately appointed as the acting chairman.

Joman will serve in this capacity pending a fresh election by the national leadership of the NLC.

The move comes as the tenure of Governor Godwin Obaseki nears its end.

The decision to remove Olaye was made at a State Executive Committee meeting held at the Labour House in Benin City.

During the meeting, 27 out of 34 active affiliate unions within the NLC voted in favor of Olaye’s removal.

In response, Olaye denied his removal, stating that he remains the legitimate chairman of the NLC in Edo State until 2027.

He argued that the NLC is too significant an organization for a group of individuals to unilaterally decide on his ousting.

“There is nothing like that (removal). I remain the authentic NLC chairman in Edo State till 2027. No one has the authority to remove me without following due process,” Olaye said in a telephone interview, accusing those behind the decision of acting under the influence of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Explaining the reasons for the removal, Osahon Omole, the chairman of the Council of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (Auchi Polytechnic and Edo State Polytechnic), noted that Olaye had previously been dismissed as the state chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) but refused to comply with the court’s ruling. He also accused Olaye of failing to pay union dues to the NURTW for over 20 years.

In a letter dated November 4, 2024, and signed by the State Secretary of the NURTW, Godwin Aghimien, the union confirmed it had recalled Olaye from representing it in the NLC, citing his removal in 2023 and the appointment of a caretaker committee in his place.

The NLC leaders further accused Olaye of involving the union in partisan politics by openly aligning with a political party ahead of the Edo State governorship election.

“We cannot allow anyone to drag the name of the NLC into politics. This is the right time to safeguard the integrity of the union,” the leaders emphasized.

In his inaugural remarks, the newly appointed acting chairman, representing the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, pledged to restore the dignity of the NLC and prioritize workers’ welfare.