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Claims that Delta state Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Goodluck Ofobruku intruded and hijacked the elections of the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) has been debunked and described as outright lies.

Secretary of JNC in Delta State, Comrade Chuks Isichei said Comrade Ofobruku never interfered in the elections as he was not part of the election.

He clarified that the election was properly conducted in line with JNC’s guidelines, adding that eight unions make up JNC. The chairmen and secretaries of each union make up the membership of JNC.

Comrade Isichei said: “It is not true that the Association of Senior Civil Servants was not informed about the election. “Text message was sent to the JNC platform and the meeting scheduled to hold at 11 a.m. at the Labour House, Asaba. The Association’s Chairman, Comrade Martins Bolum came at about 10 a.m. and left at about 10:30 a.m. leaving his secretary behind.”

Isiahei pointed out that Comrade Bolum who claims to be chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants was not duly elected and so not recognized. “The matter is even before the court; so he should not parade himself as chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants,” Comrade Isichei said.

Reiterating that it was mischievous to link Comrade Ofobruku with the election, the JNC Secretary said Ofobruku was not involved in the electoral process and the election, he said it was Comrade Ziko Ogwudi, the NLC first Vice Chairman and president of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) that anchored the election. “It was also the same Ziko Okwudi that conducted Alice Jegede-Ikpen’s first tenure as JNC chairman. So, why would anyone claim that Comrade Ziko Okwudi is not eligible to conduct this election?

Besides, Comrade Isichei said that besides, there was no agreement on rotation of leadership of JNC between NLC, which has over 45 affiliate unions and TUC with just about five, pointing out that 85 percent of representatives of JNC members – 13 out of the 16 members participated in the election, which was credible and transparently conducted in the presence of the Head of Service representative.

Making a case for calm and togetherness, since Comrade Benson Efeotor has been elected as chairman of JNC, Delta State, Comrade Isichei called for support and peace in the collective interest of workers in the State.