“No Governor Has Such Power” – MC Oluomo Fires Back at Gov Adeleke Over Osun NURTW Ban

“No Governor Has Such Power” – MC Oluomo Fires Back at Gov Adeleke Over Osun NURTW Ban

• NURTW national president rejects suspension order, inaugurates caretaker committee as Osun government insists Alowonle remains substantive chairman amid deepening leadership crisis

The National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, has firmly rejected the Osun State Government’s decision to suspend the union’s activities across the state, insisting that Governor Ademola Adeleke lacks the constitutional authority to take such action and warning that the union would not comply with what he described as an illegal directive.

Governor Adeleke had on Thursday directed the immediate suspension of all NURTW operations in motor parks across Osun State, a decision announced by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, following a meeting of the State Security Council chaired by the governor. The directive also instructed the police to halt the collection of levies by the union in all parks and ordered security agencies to arrest anyone parading as NURTW officials or executives, effectively crippling the union’s activities across the state.

Responding to the development during a press conference at the union’s national headquarters in Abuja on Friday, MC Oluomo, who was represented by the Deputy National President, Aliyu Ore, maintained that no state governor possesses the legal authority to suspend the operations of the NURTW, arguing that the union is a legally established national body governed by an Act of the National Assembly and has previously secured court victories against similar actions by state governments. He emphasized that the union operates under federal legislation and is not subject to the whims of any state governor, regardless of the circumstances.

“Today, we heard that the state governor in Osun suspended the activities of our union, which they don’t have the power to do. Not any single state governor has the power to suspend the activities of the union because we are not under any state. There is an Act that established the NURTW,” Ore stated on behalf of MC Oluomo, adding that the union’s legal team had been directed to review the government’s action and advise on appropriate next steps.

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The national leadership of the NURTW also went a step further by inaugurating a seven-man caretaker committee to manage the union’s affairs in Osun State, a move seen as a direct challenge to the state government’s authority. The committee is chaired by Kazeem Oyewale, popularly known as Asiri Eniba, with Sunday Oludare serving as secretary and Lukman Ahmed as treasurer, while other members include Ismaila Abdurahim, Adebayo Tajudin, Tajudin Akin, and Ayinde Mutiu. MC Oluomo explained that the caretaker committee would remain in place until all issues affecting the union in the state are resolved, adding that the need to establish a leadership structure in Osun is linked to the forthcoming governorship election and the union’s Memorandum of Understanding with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the distribution of electoral materials.

“We have MoU with INEC. In view of this, we have to inaugurate the caretaker members who are to mount the leadership of the NURTW pending the time we resolve all issues attached to Osun,” he said, stressing that the union has a critical role to play in the electoral process and cannot afford to be paralyzed by what he termed an overreach by the state government.

The crisis in Osun State stems from a protracted factional leadership dispute that has divided the union, with rival groups laying claim to the leadership of the state chapter. The situation escalated when a faction led by Kazeem Oyewale staged a protest against the leadership of the state NURTW chairman, Nurudeen Alowonle, leading to violent confrontations at motor parks in Osogbo that disrupted commercial activities and raised security concerns across the state. Reports indicate that the Oyewale faction had taken over the union’s state secretariat in the Ijetu area of Osogbo despite the government’s suspension order, further complicating efforts to restore normalcy.

The Osun State Government, however, has declared the purported appointment of Kazeem Oyewale as chairman of the Osun State Council of the NURTW as “null and void and of no effect,” affirming that Comrade Nurudeen Alowonle remains the substantive chairman of the union in the state and that the government does not recognize any parallel leadership structure. In a statement clarifying the government’s position, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, stated that Governor Adeleke did not dissolve the union’s leadership at any time, explaining that the Security Council’s directive was merely a suspension of activities pending the restoration of peace in the parks, not a removal of the Alowonle-led executive.

“At no time did the state government dissolve the executives of the NURTW at all levels. What the Security Council directive is all about is to suspend all activities of the union in all our parks pending the restoration of peace in all the parks,” Alimi clarified, urging the public to disregard any claims suggesting that the government had sided with any faction in the dispute.

The government further directed security agencies to “flush out Asiri Eniba and his gang” from all motor parks, noting that he has no legal basis to operate there and warning that anyone found causing trouble or operating illegally would face the full weight of the law. It added that once security improves in the parks, the NURTW under Alowonle will resume normal operations across the state without hindrance, effectively maintaining that the government recognizes only the Alowonle-led executive as the legitimate leadership of the union in Osun.

As the standoff continues, tensions remain high in Osun State’s motor parks, with commuters and transport workers caught in the crossfire of a leadership battle that shows no signs of abating. Political observers have expressed concern that the crisis could have implications for the upcoming governorship election, given the NURTW’s historical role in mobilizing voters and distributing electoral materials under its MoU with INEC. Meanwhile, both MC Oluomo and Governor Adeleke appear unwilling to back down, setting the stage for a protracted legal and political battle over who holds the legitimate authority to determine the union’s leadership and operations in Osun State.

“No Governor Has Such Power” – MC Oluomo Fires Back at Gov Adeleke Over Osun NURTW Ban