A MEMBER and major stakeholder of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) in Warri Zone, Chief Blessing Dafinone, has alleged threats against delegates for the forthcoming national delegates conference of the union to kowtow or face the consequences by some forces in the union.
To forestall this, she called for adoption of open secret ballot during the conference scheduled to hold in Lagos on Wednesday, July 3, describing as unacceptable to majority of members, clandestine moves to force members to make choices against their wishes.
Dafinone stated: “For this PTD election to be free, fair, credible, transparent and acceptable, it has to be conducted using open secret ballot system, where delegates would write their choice on a piece of paper, so that no one else knows how they had voted.
“There are complaints of intimidation and victimisation of delegates and the only way to curb that would be through open secret ballot, without fear or favour. They should please not send us back to the trenches.”
She lamented that a union that accused management of different oil and gas companies in the country of stopping their members from unionising willfully is coercing its members to make choices against their wishes, saying: “They are also building forces to support some particular candidates and threatening delegates to comply or face forceful exit from the union, and this is not only unacceptable, but criminal in nature.”
The unionist and politician told journalists in Lagos, recently: “The judiciary has given the PTD branch of NUPENG a fresh opportunity to elect its new national executives to reflect the wishes of the majority without rancour, and this has been scheduled for Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
“Therefore, no element within PTD or NUPENG must be allowed to truncate this process. All interested parties must perish their biases, sentiments or desperation. Power belongs to God and He is the only one that gives it, no matter how anyone struggles to get it.
“It is really disappointing to hear that in Lagos Zone, for example, identity cards belonging to zonal executives, who are supposed to be delegates or eligible voters on the day of election have been forcefully retrieved from them by the Zonal Chairman, Saheed Gbolahan Adigun, and are also being compelled to sleep in the zonal secretariat against their wishes.
“This is abduction in disguise. The psychological and emotional trauma currently being experienced by these people is totally unbearable, and this is unfortunately, making them to feel less human and completely depressed and unhappy.
“This intimidation must stop, you don’t foist leadership on people. From all indications, these power mongers have learned no lesson, which is a total affront on the rule of law.”
She added: “NUPENG owes all its branches, including PTD, the duty of conducting a hitch-free election, and therefore, if anything goes wrong, be it violence orchestrated by thugs or low voters’ turnout, it would amount to leadership failure on their part.
“While I do not dispute the fact that much depends on the electoral umpire to deliver a free, fair and credible election, I do not subscribe to the voters intimidation, victimisation, harassment or coercion over who to vote for on the day of election.
“That is why I agree that the Ministry of Labour and the Department of State Service (DSS) should both serve as umpire and returning officers on the day of the election.”
“To put things in their proper perspectives, a free, fair and credible election is the one in which the electorate are free to make their choices through the ballot without fear, inducement, threat or intimidation from anyone. It is one in which all contestants are given a level-playing field to compete without anyone enjoying any undue advantage over the other. A credible election is one which process is steep in transparency, with the result devoid of manipulation and underhand dealing by critical stakeholders, like some forces in PTD and national secretariat of NUPENG.”
Dafinone said if PTD and NUPENG as a whole want to stop electoral vices and ensure a free, fair and credible election at all times, the union leaders must look beyond biases and sentiments and allow members’ choice to triumph.
She said every stakeholder must play his or her roles, as defined by both the constitution and public morality, without let or hindrance, noting: “It is appalling to still see that these people in NUPENG would form an unholy alliance to use force, harassment, victimisation and emotional attack on our members at the units and zonal levels by luring them into signing an undertaking on whom to vote.
“This oppressive style of leadership is alien to our union and we urge the government and public to take note of this flagrant abuse of power.”
Recall that Justice O.Y. Anuwe of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, in Abuja, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, nullified the October 31, 2023, PTD delegates conference conducted in Ibadan and Abuja, simultaneously, and ordered a fresh and all-inclusive election.
