From Okey Sampson, Aba
Abia State workers, under the aegis of Concerned Local Government Members Forum (CLGMF) have sent a Save Our Soul (SOS) message to the national body of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), calling for immediate conduct of election for the state chapter.
Speaking on behalf of the workers, chairman of CLGMF, Samuel Ejiogu said the SOS became imperative following alleged refusal of members of the present executive council to conduct a new poll after expiration of their tenure.
He said on July 3, 2013, the present executive members of the council, which include Ijioma Onyenucheya, president; Ikechi Nwigwe, vice president; Okechukwu Iwejo, auditor 1; Okechukwu Nwagbara, PRO and others, were elected for a four-year tenure.
Ejiogu said going by NULGE constitution, the tenure of executive members expired on July 3, 2017.
He alleged that instead of conducting a fresh election, what the executive did was to unilaterally elongate their stay by two years, which he said was unconstitutional.
“We have not had this type of case anywhere in Nigeria, where executive council of NULGE will unilaterally and outside the constitution elongate their tenure.
“What we are saying is that, since their tenure has expired, they should conduct fresh election and since they have the right to re-contest, they are free and the workers can vote them in again. But, what we cannot accept is this illegality they are trying to foist on us.
“Since their tenure has expired by two months, the national body should dissolve them and conduct election.
“If for whatever reason election is not conducted, a caretaker committee should be in place.”
The CLGMF chairman said if the national body does not act fast, to address the anomaly, it would cause disintegration in Abia State chapter of NULGE as some groups are already threatening to break away and form their own union; where they believe the rule of law should hold supreme.
“Already, some sub-associations with NULGE, in the state, are contemplating breaking away over this problem and that is why we are appealing to the national body to wade in and solve the problem before it gets out of hand.”