The national industrial court in Abuja has reaffirmed Innocent Bola-Audu as the legitimate president of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), ending a protracted leadership dispute within the union.
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In a judgement delivered on Wednesday, Rakiya Haastrup, the presiding judge, directed that Bola-Audu be allowed to immediately assume office and granted unhindered access to the union’s national secretariat.
The judge held that Sheu Mohammed and Apebo Joshua, who had been laying claim to the offices of president and secretary-general of the union, lacked any legal basis to occupy those positions.
She also upheld the August 10, 2024, election that returned Bola-Audu for a second four-year term, ruling that the exercise complied with the provisions of the union’s constitution.
The judge nullified a parallel election conducted in Lagos by a faction of the union, describing it as a violation of the ASCSN constitution and “a product of fraud and illegality.”
She ordered the accountant-general of the federation to release the union’s check-off dues to the Bola-Audu-led leadership.
In the ruling, Haastrup referenced an earlier judgement delivered on July 9, 2024, by Oyebiola Oyewumi, who had similarly recognised Bola-Audu as the authentic president of the union.
The judge faulted Mohammed and Joshua for disregarding that subsisting judgement, noting that court orders are binding and not subject to selective compliance.
She held that their actions — including writing to government officials and other stakeholders to undermine the recognised leadership — were malicious and intended to destabilise the union.
Consequently, the judge set aside all such communications and restrained Mohammed and Joshua, along with their agents, from interfering with the operations of the Bola-Audu-led executive or accessing the union’s assets.
Haastrup further ordered that the tenure of the current leadership be extended by six months to compensate for the period it was denied access to the secretariat.
The judge also imposed financial penalties on the defendants, awarding N10 million each against Mohammed and Joshua for what she described as vindictive conduct and contempt of court, alongside an additional N50 million in exemplary damages.
Reacting to the judgement, Bola-Audu welcomed the decision, commending the judiciary for upholding justice.
He called for reconciliation, urging the opposing faction to work together with his leadership in advancing the interests of the union’s over 600,000 members, adding that there was “no victor, no vanquished.”
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