Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Oyo State branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers has accused the state's Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of deliberately misrepresenting a binding Court of Appeal judgment, insisting that the ruling unequivocally restored the union's right to resume full operations in motor parks and garages across the state. In a strongly worded letter dated June 26, 2026, addressed to the Attorney-General and signed by Chukwuma H. Onwuemene of Falana & Falana's Chambers, the union alleged that the state's Chief Law Officer distorted the meaning of the appellate court's decision during a recent multi-stakeholder meeting convened by the Oyo State Commissioner of Police. The meeting had been called following a request by the union for police protection to enable it resume unrestricted operations in motor parks across Oyo State, a request that has now become the flashpoint of a fresh legal and political confrontation.
According to the union, the Attorney-General argued at the meeting that the Court of Appeal judgment did not empower the NURTW to resume operations or restore it to its former position in the state's motor parks. Rejecting that position, the union described it as a deliberate misrepresentation of a binding court judgment. "We write with the utmost professional candour but also with deep concern at the manifest distortion of unambiguous judicial pronouncements by a Chief Law Officer of the State, whose sworn duty it is to uphold the rule of law," the letter stated. It added, "We are constrained to respond to this position with the forcefulness it demands, for it is not merely erroneous—it is a calculated misrepresentation of the plain and unambiguous language of a binding superior court judgment."
The dispute traces back to the suspension of the NURTW's activities in Oyo State by Governor Seyi Makinde on May 31, 2019, a decision justified at the time on grounds of maintaining peace and order amid violent clashes among union factions. The suspension effectively barred the union from operating in motor parks across the state, replacing it with a government-controlled Park Management System. The union subsequently instituted an action before the National Industrial Court challenging the proscription and seeking declarations that the ban was unconstitutional, as well as orders restoring it to all roads, motor parks and operational units previously occupied by its members. Although the National Industrial Court dismissed the suit in a judgment delivered on March 23, 2022, the union appealed the decision.
On September 26, 2025, the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division, delivered a unanimous judgment in Appeal No: CA/IB/263/2022, involving the NURTW and the Governor of Oyo State, the Attorney General of Oyo State, the Commissioner for Public Works, Infrastructure and Transportation, and the Commissioner of Police as respondents. Delivering the judgment, Justice Kenneth Amadi held that the state government had failed to justify its suspension of the union's activities on grounds of maintaining peace and order. "The respondents failed to justify the suspension of the activities of the Appellant based on the ground of breach of peace, law and order in Oyo State caused by the Appellant. I allow this appeal, set aside the suspension on the operations of the Appellant in Oyo State. I also set aside the judgment of the lower court. The judgment is entered accordingly," the court ruled.
The union's solicitors argued that the appellate court's decision effectively restored the union's operational rights. In their letter to the Attorney-General, they challenged him to identify which part of the court's order was ambiguous. "Order 1 makes a definitive finding that the Respondents—including the Governor of Oyo State and the Attorney General himself—failed to justify the suspension of our Client's activities. Order 2 allows the appeal and sets aside the suspension on the operations of the Appellant. Order 3 sets aside the judgment of the Lower Court... Order 4 enters final judgment accordingly," the letter stated. The union further maintained that no additional court order was required before it could resume operations. "The reversal of the lower court's dismissal carries with it the legal force of the reliefs originally claimed. The Court of Appeal's Order 2, which 'set aside the suspension on the operations of the Appellant in Oyo State', is a direct restoration of our Client to its operational status. No further enabling order is required," the letter stated.
The union also argued that the Attorney-General's interpretation would render the appeal meaningless. "The position canvassed by your office would produce the absurd result that a litigant who successfully appeals against the dismissal of its case is nonetheless left in the same adverse position as if the appeal had never been filed. That is not and cannot be the law," the letter declared. The union's frustration is compounded by the fact that the Oyo State Government, through the Attorney-General, had previously appeared to acknowledge the union's right to operate. In a Notice of Preliminary Objection filed on April 23, 2026, the Attorney-General stated that "the 2nd respondent has not done anything whatsoever to prevent the NURTW, the appellant herein, from its operations in Oyo State" and that "there is no specific order made against the 2nd respondent which the 2nd respondent refuses or neglects to comply with."
The union said the position taken by the Attorney-General and the Commissioner for Transportation before the court gave members confidence that there should be no further obstacles to their return. "With the Attorney General now on record before the Court of Appeal that government is not preventing NURTW from operating, we expect full compliance without further delay, victimisation or harassment of our members at motor parks," the union's statement read. The union called on the Oyo State Government and security agencies to ensure that its members are allowed to resume their duties peacefully in line with the court judgment, warning that any attempt to obstruct its operations would amount to contempt of court and a violation of the appellate court's ruling.
The transport union's chairman, Alhaji Abideen Olajide (Ejiogbe), and secretary, Comrade Lekan Alesinloye, maintained that the union had been denied the opportunity to perform its lawful functions for about seven years and insisted that the legal dispute had now been settled. "We have been out of our legitimate duties for seven years. The court has spoken. The government itself has told the court it is not preventing us. Drivers and operators should expect their union back in motor parks immediately," the union leaders stated. The NURTW has also warned that any interference with its operations would amount to contempt of court, urging the government to end what it described as harassment of its members at various motor parks across the 33 local government areas of the state.
The standoff between the NURTW and the Oyo State Government has become a test of judicial authority and executive compliance in Nigeria's South-West. The Attorney-General has yet to publicly respond to the union's latest accusations, and the Oyo State Government has not issued an official statement on the matter. However, the union has made it clear that it will not back down, insisting that the rule of law must prevail and that the government must respect the binding decision of the Court of Appeal. As the union prepares to resume operations, the coming days will determine whether the Oyo State Government will comply with the court's ruling or continue to resist, potentially setting the stage for a legal confrontation that could have far-reaching implications for the enforcement of court judgments in Nigeria.
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