NURTW president Baruwa risks imprisonment over delegate conference

NURTW president Baruwa risks imprisonment over delegate conference 

 

Outgoing President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa, may be jailed for contempt of court should he go ahead to organise a delegate conference and run for a second term in office.

A legal practitioner, Barrister Mike Uwem, said any attempt to organise such a conference is a contempt of court which could attract severe punishment.

Uwem gave the warning on Monday in a statement against the backdrop of two subsisting suits at industrial courts challenging Baruwa’s to run for a second term in office.

Baruwa is reported to be planning to hold the NURTW national delegate conference and despite the pending court cases.

While the Abuja industrial court has fixed October this year on the eligibility case against the NURTW president, Lagos industrial court adjourned a similar case till November.

Uwem said, “Contempt of court is an act of disrespect or disobedience toward a court or interference with its orderly process.

“Instances of contempt of court include disrupting court proceedings, interference with attempts to obtain evidence, disobeying a court order.”

Speaking on the likely punishment for contempt of court,” he said it would depend on the judge.

“But ordinarily, it attract fines or getting jail term (three months imprisonment).”

According to Barrister Uwem, in a normal setting, trying to organise such a delegate conference despite the fact that the matter is before a court of law is resulting to self-help and it may be interpreted as contempt of court.

The best way to go is to allow the court to run its course and deliver judgement and not self-help,” he said.