By Dafe Favour
Members of the Executive Committee, Lagos State chapter of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) have dissociated themselves from a splinter group that emanated from the just-concluded Extra-Ordinary Delegates Conference during which one Olusegun Rhamon Balogun was purportedly nominated by the association for an election that was already concluded.
In a statement endorsed by nine members of the committee, it said the attention of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Lagos State Branch, has been drawn to a recent online publication credited to some sectarian and misguided elements regarding an election that had been concluded.
“The purported publication, floated by a few disgruntled elements in cahoots with the aggrieved Chairman of the Association and issued in the name of the ASCSN Lagos State Branch, attempted to usurp the powers and functions of the State Executive Council and made puerile pronouncements.
“Ordinarily, we would have dismissed the amateurish and jaundiced publication with a wave of the hand and focused on more pressing matters affecting the welfare of our members.
“We were equally tempted to merely discountenance the laughable macabre dance in the marketplace. However, for the purpose of preventing our well-meaning members and the discerning members of the public from being misinformed or misled, we are compelled to make some clarifications,” the statement reads.
It explained that for the avoidance of doubt, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) First Quadrennial State Delegates Conference (SDC) had been duly concluded and all positions contested, won and occupied by elected leaders.
“It is important to state clearly that Comrade Olusegun Rahman Balogun was never in the race, was not nominated by his Union, and could not have been a contestant under the provisions of the Constitution. His actions are better described as anti-union politics, motivated by personal ambition rather than collective interest.
“The ASCSN Lagos State Branch wishes to reiterate unequivocally that Comrade Abiodun Aladetan was duly recommended by the State Executive Committee (SEC) and endorsed by the Central Working Committee (CWC) of our union for the position of TUC Chairman, and was subsequently elected by majority of accredited delegates through a process in line with the TUC Constitution and electoral guidelines.
“We further state that the so-called “Delegates Conference” being referenced by these elements was not done in accordance with the Constitution of the ASCSN. The Union’s Constitution is clear: it is only the Secretariat that has the mandate to conduct a Delegates Conference. Any meeting or gathering held outside this constitutional framework is null, void and of no effect,” it stated.
The statement was signed by comrades Akeem Adeshun (Vice Chairman); Hakeem Oluwa (Treasurer); Olufemi Alape (Auditor); Adeyeye Mayowa (Ex-Officio); David Kehinde (Ex-Officio); Roseline Akandeji (Ex-Officio); Ganiu Anjorin (Ex-Officio); Abiola Oshodi Lateef (Ex-Officio) and Aladetan Abiodun (Secretary).
“We also wish to state without mincing words that we pass a vote of confidence in Abiodun Aladetan, the newly elected TUC Chairman and dissociate ourselves from any call to withdraw him for whatever reason.
“We appeal to those causing disaffection in the ASCSN to prioritize the collective interest of the Association and desist from actions capable of bringing senior staff of the Lagos State Public Service into disrepute and embarrassing the employers. The Branch is putting modalities in place to bring all those responsible for this charade to reckoning.
“Finally, we advise our friends and partners in the press to verify information before putting the same out for public consumption,” the statement added.
