Baruwa faction calls on Tinubu to intervene in NURTW’s crisis
Counsel to Comrade Ibikunle Baruwa, Tolu Babaleye, has called on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to intervene in the ongoing crisis rocking the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) by
- From Franca Ochigbo, Abuja
Counsel to Comrade Ibikunle Baruwa, Tolu Babaleye, has called on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to intervene in the ongoing crisis rocking the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) by recognising the duly elected and nationally recognised National President, Comrade Ibikunle Baruwa.
The Solicitor, who addressed reporters in company of Comrade Baruwa and his faction in Abuja, appealed to President Tinubu to restore the NURTW President Comrade Baruwa to its rightful position having won in three courts and affirmed by the Court of Appeal. He reminded President Tinubu that commitment to the rule of law should not be by words but by decisive action that demonstrates that no individual, no matter how connected, is above the Constitution.
He said: “We call on the President to immediately direct the Inspector-General of Police to arrest the illegal occupants of the NURTW National Office, Musiliu Akinsanya (aka MC Oluomo) and restore Comrade Ibikunle Baruwa to his rightful position as affirmed by the Court of Appeal
“The President should also order a full investigation into the role of the Nigerian Army and other security agencies in the brazen subversion of court orders on March 24, 2026 as we refuse to stand by while our judicial system is raped and the constitution is set ablaze.
“We call on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), National Judicial Council (NJC), civil society organisations, and lovers of democracy to condemn this descent into anarchy. If a man with three favourable judgments from the National Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal cannot take his office without being arrested and replaced by a non-contestant under military escort, then the democracy we profess to practice is a sham”.
Babaleye reaffirmed Baruwa’s faction commitment to the rule of law, and assured that they will explore all legal and constitutional avenues to ensure the sanctity of court judgments is restored. From what is happening, this is no longer a mere intra-union dispute; it has metamorphosed into a constitutional crisis fueled by the willful disobedience of court orders by security agencies and the executive arm of government.
He added that Baruwa had waited for two and a half years for the police to act and the executive to uphold the law. ‘’He waited for the courts’ pronouncements to be respected. When it became clear that the executive and its agencies were complicit in frustrating justice, he had no choice but to activate the rights of citizens under the law, which was by forcefully taking his position as President NURTW, yet the crisis escalated.
