FOLLOWING National Record’s exclusive and comprehensive report on the petition written by members of the National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE), the President of the union, Comrade Lateef Idowu Oyelekan, has come out to boldly assert that there is no petition against him and as a result is ready to sue the publication for libel and malicious publication.
Comrade Oyelekan, speaking through his attorney, one Oluwafemi Abimbola, claimed that to the best of his knowledge, there is no petition as alluded to by National Record.
Abimbola, who called the Editor-in-Chief of the publication at about 5:23pm on Saturday, May 23, 2020 in a conversation that lasted 6 minutes, 59 seconds, said he had been receiving “several calls lately,” although he did not say from whom, and that it is alarming and an outright infringement on the fundamental rights of his client that the National Record should send text message to his phone enquiring about the petition written by members of his union.
Abimbola’s call confirmed our claim in the report that efforts to reach Comrade Oyelekan failed as he didn’t respond to text messages sent to his MTN mobile number on the night of Thursday, May 21, 2020 after he failed to pick calls made to the same number.
The first message to Comrade Oyelekan reads: “Good evening Comrade President, I am Onah L. Iduh, the Editor-in-Chief of National Record, a new online publication. I had called twice earlier and on both occasions, it rang out. I had wanted you to respond to some issues raised in a petition as well as other allegations against you.”
In the second message sent immediately after the first, the Editor stated: “The main allegation is that you are trying to subvert the Constitution of the Union to get a fourth tenure in office as president. The second major allegation is that you are going after people who are opposed to this 4th term by working to sack them from their jobs.”
While arguing that the enquiry infringes on the fundamental human rights of Comrade Oyeleke, Abimbola stated that if the union members are aggrieved, the best option available to them or anybody is to “approach the court.” He asked National Record if it was aware that “the Ministry of Labour and Productivity [sic] has an overriding supervisory role over the affairs of all unions in Nigeria,” and that if people are aggrieved, they can make a petition to the minister or approach the National Industrial Court rather than “defaming him [Comrade Oyelekan] and harassing him here and there.”
When reminded that the petition was sent to the Minister of Labour and Employment as well as the Nigeria Labour Congress and the National Assembly, Abimbola absolutely denied the existence of the petition and the petitioners, as he asked: “Who are those people; they are not even showing face, they are not even known; we don’t know any of them… I am not joking, may be you can accord us a copy of the petition, we will be grateful.
Screenshot of the text messages to Comrade Oyelekan
When asked if he can be quoted on record on this, Abimbola quickly responded: “No, no” and then asked: “you want to record my voice or what?” When the editor answered that he was not recording but taking notes, Abimbola said: “Of course, you can take notes, it is not an issue.”
But as the conversation progressed, Comrade Oyeleke’s attorney resorted to threats of litigation when the editor asked if he was not aware that the petition was the major theme of a meeting of NAC members of the Food Union initiated by the President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba.
Insisting that to the best of his knowledge there is no petition “carrying any known name that was discussed at any NAC meeting at any time whatsoever” and demanding with a commanding tone “the name of the person who wrote the petition,” Abimbola said: “You don’t have to send it [the petition] then. Go ahead and make your publication. We will go to court;” when National Record told him that he can only make available to him only if he (Abimbola) agreed to answer his questions: “If you are not responding to my questions, then I am not sending the petition. The story is already published, anyway,” the Editor responded.
The following exchanges concluded the conversation between the two before Abimbola cut the call:
Abimbola: “Make the publication and let us go to court.”
Iduh: “Well, you can go to court, it is already published.”
Abimbola: “If you don’t know a place, you ask the people who know the place.”
Iduh: “Well, you can go to court. You think shouting like this can intimidate me? I cannot be intimidated!”
More revelations
After the publication of the story, National Record got a trove of reactions from some members of the union. While some members sent pictures of a recent protest, others penned down their perception of the leadership of the union under Comrade Oyelekan.
Union members protesting against the leadership of Comrade Oyelekan earlier this year.
Among the reactions were series of memos exchanged between the National Secretariat of the Food and its 7Up Branch that was alleged to have been mired in a crisis orchestrated by the President as he tried to subdue contrary views of those he suspected to be against his 4th tenure.
Notable among the memos were a query issued to the National Signing Trustee of the union, Comrade Peter Onoja, who is from the 7Up branch. In the query from the National Secretariat of the Food Union, titled “Re: letter of Appeal on Illegal Suspension and Removal as Branch Secretary of Seven-Up and Victimization,” Comrade Onoja was apprised of “serious allegations of victimization, harassment and illegal removal from office” against him from the Branch Secretary, Comrade Adedeji Adenuga.
The query stated further: “In the same vein, Comrade Adedeji Adenuga specifically accused you of using your authority as a Senior Officer of our Union to oppress and intimidate him in the performance of his duties as Branch Secretary which eventually climaxed with his illegal removal from office.
“In the interest of fairness and justice, you are hereby expected to respond to all the allegations against you as contained in the attached letter.
“Meanwhile, your response is expected to reach the undersigned not later than 15th January, 2020.” The query, signed by the General secretary, Comrade Bamidele Busari, was copied all members of NAC including Comrade Oyelekan.
In his response dated 13th January 2020 and copied all NAC members of the union, Comrade Onoja stated that he lacks the power to “give query or suspend any employee of Seven-Up” as he is merely a member and not the Branch Chairman or the chairman of Family Forum. He explained further: “You will also observe that none of the letter, that is, the query or suspension was signed by me. I recall that when the issue came up and my attention was drawn to it, I personally asked the HOD to invite him and he was invited.
“As stated above, I am just a member like everyone and do not have the power of the influence to suspend and/or remove a Branch Secretary or any other officer. As a National Signing Trustee, I always carry out my duties diligently and to the best of my ability and that is why I have gained the trust and confidence of the leadership of our great Union.”
A number of such trivial but politically inspired issues such as above are in possession of National Record, which are said to be inspired from the National secretariat of the union tied to the 4th term ambition of Comrade Oyelekan.
Efforts to reach him to speak on this particular matter failed as calls to his number did not go through. Also, calls to the General Secretary, Comrade Busari also did not go through.
