Leadership Struggle Hits Edo NURTW Over Election Material Transport

By Joseph Sunday

Barely a week to the governorship election scheduled for Saturday 21st September in Edo State, a new leadership crisis has erupted within the state branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

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The issue centers on control over the transportation of election materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Benin City to the various local government areas and onward to polling units.

According to Treasure Newspaper, a significant dispute has arisen within the union regarding which faction would be responsible for transporting the election materials. Tensions escalated on Friday at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Benin City as both factions of the NURTW competed for the task of coordinating logistics.

During an interview, Comrade Saturday Oamen, the factional chairman of the NURTW in Edo State, accused his rival, Chief Odion Olaye, of overstaying his tenure. He stated that Olaye has held the chairmanship for 21 years, far exceeding the two-term, eight-year limit outlined in the union’s constitution. Oamen condemned Olaye’s refusal to step down.

At the meeting with INEC officials, Oamen criticized Olaye for allegedly bringing in non-members dressed in NURTW uniforms to cause disruptions. He reaffirmed his commitment to reforming the union, stating:

“If you are not a Union member, you have no right to wear the NURTW customized shirts. Like the former Chairman, Odion is doing now, carrying thugs from streets and put NURTW uniforms on them to be constituting nuisance and fighting everybody should be seen as primitive.”

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Oamen further assured union members and the public of his leadership’s readiness to manage the transportation of election materials and maintain peace during the election period.

In response, Chief Odion Olaye dismissed Oamen’s claims, stating that Oamen was no longer a member of the NURTW, having joined the Road Transport Employers Association (RTEAN) years ago. Olaye denied the existence of any factions within the Edo State branch of the NURTW, asserting that the divisions only exist at the national level. He also denied spending 21 years in office and clarified that political factors, including actions by former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, had disrupted the union’s activities for several years.

Olaye labeled Oamen’s assertions of winning a Supreme Court case as false, emphasizing that no such judgment had been delivered.

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Despite the ongoing leadership crisis, the NURTW is expected to play a significant role in the logistics of the upcoming election in Edo State.

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