lagos—Justice Rabi Gwandu of the National Industrial Court, NIC, sitting in Lagos, yesterday, reserved for judgement, the suit by the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, ASSBIFI, and nine others, against Trade Union Congress, TUC, over its 12th Triennial Delegates’ Conference.
Justice Gwandu adjourned for judgement, following the adoption of written addresses in the suit and the counter responses, which was adopted by parties.
The judge, at the last sitting, frowned at the flagrant disobedience of her order, which restrained TUC from holding its 12th Triennial Delegates’ Conference, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit before the court.
At the resumption of the matter, yesterday, claimants’ counsel, Timothy Adewale, moved a pending motion against the defendants over disobedience of the order made by the court, while he also asked the court to commit the TUC President and Secretary General to prison for their failure and disobedience of court, which restrained TUC, from holding its 12th triennial delegates’ conference in Abuja, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit before the court.
The claimant’s counsel referred the court to a video evidence where the resolution came up in 2019 conference.
After arguments, and the counter response, which was adopted by parties, the judge adjourned for judgement.
Justice Gwandu, thereafter, informed the lawyers that the date for the judgement would be communicated to all the parties at a latter date.
It will be recalled that ASSBIFI and nine other associations had filed a suit against the TUC.
The claimants in the suit, had prayed the court to declare that by virtue of the agreements and resolutions reached and ratified at the 11th triennial delegates’ conference of the defendant held on June 28, 2019, at NAF Centre, Abuja, the 1st claimant (ASSBIFI) should produce the next president of the TUC for the year 2022 to 2025.
The claimants also asked for an order, mandating and compelling the defendant to immediately enable the 1st claimant to produce and assume the office of the president of the defendant, in line with the agreement and resolutions reached and ratified at the 11th triennial delegates’ conference in Abuja.
The application is supported by a 27-paragraph affidavit deposed to by the general secretary of the Pulp Paper and Paper Products Printing and Publishing Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PPAPPPAPSSAN, Benedict Ikegbulam, which stated that sometime in 2019, due to the leadership imbroglio and the intricate nature of the situation around the presidency of the TUC, members of the defendant, during its triennial delegates’ conference, constituted an electoral committee chaired by Augustine Etafo of Construction and Engineering Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and also a deputy president of the congress to work out modalities for elections into TUC, as a way of resolving the imbroglio and saving the defendant from collapse.
