From Everest Ezihe, Owerri
Following recent local media reports, that Imo State leadership of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has been nullified by an Industrial Court, Comrade Ebem Njoku has described the publication as “misleading falsehood” noting that the union being led by Comrade Richard Eze is still intact and no court in Nigeria or anywhere in the world has truncated the leadership.
Njoku who is the state Public Relations officer of the union stated this in a one page Press Release dated Wednesday 12th August, 2020 which he endorsed and issued to Journalists in Owerri further appealed to the general public to disregard the publication.
According to him, “to say the least, the publication is malicious, misleading and highly provocative. There is no modicum of truth in the said publication. It could best be described as a concoction from the figment or imagination of the minds of the wicked purveyors of the deliberate falsehood” he insisted.
He pointed out that “What happened was that the Kaduna Division of the National Industrial Court gave a judgement on the 2/7/2020, reaffirming the judgment of the Owerri Division of the NICN in suit no. NICN/OW./36/2018 delivered on July 11, 2019 which nullified the tenure elongation enjoyed or being enjoyed by some Officers of the Union as promulgated by the Special National Delegates’ Conference in Akure, Ondo State in 2016.
Delivering its judgment on the legal contentions submitted by the parties, the Kaduna Court said since the Owerri Division of its coordinate jurisdiction had given the judgment on the same issues submitted for the resolution of the Court by the parties to the suit, it lacked the powers to sit on appeal on the judgment hence it affirmed same. It said that only a higher Court like the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court could review it and not it as the parties wanted it to so do.
But before then, the Kaduna branch of our great Union had conducted its State Delegate Conference(SDC), making the matter a fait accompli before the said judgment,” he stated.
He allegedly recalled that having failed in their inordinate ambition to install their illegal Caretaker Committees as was never directed by the Court, the Ekeanyanwu group went back to the same Owerri Division of the National Industrial Court, praying it in the suit no. NICN/OW./66/2019, to amongst other prayers, to make a “definite order on the removal of our National Officers” but on 6/2/2020, after carefully listening to the various arguments canvased by the learned Counsel to the parties, the learned counsel,Justice S. I. Galadima (who gave the earlier judgment that ordered the election of the Imo State branch of NULGE), struck out the suit for being an abuse of court processes and rather directed any aggreived party to proceed to the Court of Appeal.
The Public Relations Officer further said that as at now, the matter is still pending at the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division where the same Claimants (now Appellants) are praying the Honourable Court to grant them the leave to appeal against the said Owerri judgment.
We’ll only invest in Anambra if best governor emerges – Indigenes in US
Indigenes of Anambra State residents in the United States of America (USA), under the aegis of Anambra Diaspora Forum USA (ADF-USA) say they are ready to invest in the development of Anambra State if the right governor emerges.
The group also said it is ready to get involved in politics to ensure that the right person emerges as governor of Anambra State.
The group in a statement signed by its president, Prof. Toochukwu Madubuko, made available to DAILY POST in Awka said it will no longer turn a deaf ear to the politics of its home state because its members live comfortably in America.
“The reason we are doing this is because we all have loved ones back home. We take care of them, we visit them sometimes. Our hearts are there so why not play a little part reshaping the land we love. We are fortunate to experience life in a developed country, so our thoughts and opinion matter. It is our duty to help guide our loved ones and help to elect a true leader for our beloved Anambra State.
“As we sit in the comforts of our homes in the diaspora, we are enjoying the hard work from men and women whose visions for their communities, state, and country came to fruition. Those were leaders who yearned for a better world.
The group mentioned various areas in which the next governor of the state must be adept to be able to lead the state and also make a meaningful impact.
