Tunji Adedeji
A new twist has been added to the tussle of who occupies the office of the elected State Officer of NULGE in Imo as the National Industrial Court presided over by Hon. Justice O. O Arowesegbe, sitting in Owerri, Imo State, on Monday 30th April, 2018 has reinstated the sacked elected State Officers of NULGE, Imo State.
In the matter, the National Industrial Court Judge, Justice Arowesegbe declared that the purported suspension and dissolution of the elected State Officers of NULGE in Imo State is invalid, of no effect, null and void.
Justice Arowesegbe after the reinstatement of the elected NULGE boss ordered that the purported amended constitution of NULGE, 2016 is invalid and accordingly set aside. And that the 2005 constitution of NULGE is the regular, functional and operational constitution as at the time the cause of action arose and is therefore, the valid constitution in the extant case.
The Judge in the matter that had spanned for many years ordered that the court finally pronounced that there ought not to have been a Caretaker Committee in Imo NULGE as “something cannot be built on nothing” hence the tenure of the elected State Officers is still subsisting with the tenure extension granted them by the Special National Delegates’ Conference which would run till June, 2020.
Justice Arowesegbe further stated that all actions including Local Branch elections conducted by the illegal Caretaker Committee are accordingly, set aside and nullified.
According to him, “the Defendants are ordered to pay the Claimants all their entitlements and allowances due to them within 30days.
That the elected State Officers are to resume Office with immediate effect. That the cost of 100,000 is awarded against each of the Defendants. ”
“That the purported Committee’s report purporting to indict the Claimants of financial recklessness and under – declaration of check-off dues to the National is invalid, illegal and nullified as it did not give the Claimants the chance of fair hearing as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution, 1999 (as amended”
