Tension is brewing at Lagos seaport over the forthcoming Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) elections.
Irked by alleged plan to impose a new leader on the martime workers, MWUN members have embarked on a protest on Thursday against the move.
A source, who craved anonymity, told LEADERSHIP that the protest, which grounded port’s efficiency and business activities on Thursday, was as a result of the list that was released for the elections scheduled to take place anytime from now.
The maritime workers wanted the electoral committee to strictly follow Rule 14a regarding election exercise.
According to the source, the MWUN members under the banner of Dockworkers Branch were provoked by the list which spelt out the position of elective positions outside their own branch, a development they believed was a plan to marginalise their arm that ought to produce the next President.
At the heart of the dispute is the alleged
emergence of a member of the ENL Terminal chapter at Apapa Port, whose sudden campaign for the branch presidency led to the protest.
According to the source, who confided in our Correspondent, the workers expected the MWUN leadership to be zoned to the Tin Can Chapter, based on a long-standing gentleman’s agreement, which was done to promote industrial harmony by rotating the presidency across the union’s various branches.
The expectation was further underscored by the fact that the incumbent president, representing the ENL chapter, was about completing his tenure.
The appearance of campaign posters on Thursday further reignited bitter memories of the past domination by a single zone, and consequently, protests erupted across key port locations.