ABUJA – The leadership crisis rocking the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) took a deeper turn on Wednesday as counsel to Comrade Ibikunle Baruwa, Mr. Tolu Babaleye, warned that the dispute would persist unless subsisting court judgments are enforced.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Babaleye described the situation as a “constitutional crisis,” alleging that the willful disobedience of court orders by security agencies and the executive arm of government has undermined the rule of law.
He stressed that Baruwa remains the duly elected and court-recognised National President of the union, having secured three separate judgments from the National Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal affirming his mandate.
According to Babaleye, despite the courts’ clear pronouncements, authorities have failed to implement the rulings for over 2.5 years.
“As long as that judgment is not executed, there will be a crisis in the NURTW.
“The present occupants cannot organise any valid election because they are unknown to the law. You cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand,” he said.
He noted that several letters were written to the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies requesting enforcement of the judgments, but these were allegedly ignored.
The matter, he added, was escalated to the Minister of Labour and the Attorney General of the Federation. While the Minister convened meetings between the factions, the Attorney General referred the issue for legal advice — a move the lawyer described as a stalling tactic.
Babaleye further alleged that although a legal opinion was eventually prepared, it was not signed, with claims that “the Presidency was interested in the matter.”
The lawyer decried what he termed a dangerous trend of disobedience to court orders, tracing its roots to past administrations.
“Well, it is only under a military regime that we have court judgments being disobeyed with such impunity,” he said. “This trend became pronounced during the last administration, and it is very unfortunate.”
He warned that such actions erode the foundations of democracy and set a dangerous precedent in which individuals act above the law.
“Power is transient. Whatever you do today becomes your scorecard tomorrow,” he added.
Babaleye disclosed that the legal team had written to several institutions, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the Office of the National Security Adviser, seeking intervention.
