TUC Crisis Deepens As Lagos Chapter Drags National Leadership To Court

TUC Crisis Deepens As Lagos Chapter Drags National Leadership To Court
National leadership expelled 11 members and suspended 14 officers.
Lagos council insists disciplinary action violated constitutional procedures.

The leadership crisis rocking the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has escalated after the Lagos State Council dragged the national leadership of the union to court over the expulsion and suspension of several members and officers across state councils.

The dispute, which stems from controversial state council elections and allegations of attempts to impose preferred candidates, has generated tensions in several states, including Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa and Enugu.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the crisis intensified following an emergency meeting of the TUC National Executive Council (NEC) in Lagos, where members adopted the recommendations of a disciplinary committee set up to investigate alleged acts of disobedience and misconduct by some officers and affiliates.

In a communiqué jointly signed by TUC President, Festus Osifo, and Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro, the NEC announced the expulsion of 11 members from Lagos, Rivers, Enugu and Bayelsa state councils, while 14 officers were suspended for two years.

Among those expelled from the Lagos State Council are Abiodun Aladetan of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Gbolahan Kabiawu of the National Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Veronica Egbukichi of ATSSSAN, and Salau Oladele of SSAUSCGOC.

According to the NEC, the disciplinary committee was mandated to review cases of “flagrant disobedience” of council resolutions and recommend appropriate sanctions after granting affected individuals fair hearing.

The council directed all expelled members to cease acting on behalf of the TUC and barred them from participating in meetings, negotiations, elections, public engagements and media activities conducted in the name of the union.

However, the Lagos State Council rejected the sanctions, describing them as unconstitutional and a violation of due process.

Reacting to the development, Abiodun Aladetan insisted that he remains the duly elected Chairman of the TUC Lagos State Council and has not been lawfully removed from office.

“I remain the bona fide and duly elected Chairman of the TUC Lagos State Council, having emerged through a process conducted in full compliance with the TUC Constitution,” he said.

Aladetan accused the national leadership of attempting to replace him with an individual who contested and won the position of secretary during the state council election.

He further disclosed that he had approached the National Industrial Court, Lagos Division, seeking judicial interpretation of the dispute in Suit No. NICN/LA/129/2026 between Comrade Aladetan Abiodun and Comrade Festus Osifo and four others.

“The matter is now properly before a court of competent jurisdiction, and I have absolute confidence in the integrity and independence of the judicial process,” he stated.

TUC Lagos Chapter Drags National Leadership To Court

Observers within the labour movement believe the dispute could test the TUC’s internal democratic structures and raise broader questions about disciplinary powers, leadership succession and constitutional compliance within organised labour.