Rivers NATA Crisis Deepens As Faction Conducts Election

The crisis rocking the
Rivers State Chapter of the Nigerian Automobile Technicians Association (NATA) has deepened following the election of new executives by a faction of the association.
Trouble started when an ad-hoc electoral committee was set up headed by a former National Secretary of the association, Rev Loveday Udechukwu with Idowu Ade as Secretary and with a mandate to conduct free, fair and transparent election in December, 2014.
But the aspirants and members of the association differed on the election date, for the fact that it coincided with the Yuletide period as they would be preparing for the Christmas while the other camp said come rain or shine, the election must hold in December last year.
One of the factions also agitated that the election period also fell within the period they were  to bury one of their National Trustees, Late Chief Dennis Kalagbor, and wanted the election to be shifted as a mark of  honuour, pleading that it should be held in the first week of February, 2015.
As the arguments were going  on, one of the factions led by Joseph Okere who was contesting  for the office of the state chairman contacted some National Officers, and in the process, conduct the election and were sworn –in as the state executive of the Nigeria Automobile Technician Association, (NATA).
When contacted, the chairman of the ad-hoc election committee, Rev Loveday Udechukwu said he was appointed with other members to conduct an election of the body on September 27, 2014, and as the electioneering process was going on with some hiccupps, the group led by one of the chairmanship aspirants, Stanley Amadi purportedly held an election in December and declared themselves as the new Executives of the Association.
I was not there during the election because during that period, my shop was buggled and I was at the police station trying to sort out things. So I do not know if there was any election held by the body, although the membership list which I gave to the treasurer of the union, Pius Ukhuevor on duress was used. Since I was not there, I didn’t know who and who were elected and sworn-in since no one has called and briefed,” he said.
Meanehile, an injunction has been placed in a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt restraining the Stanley Amadi-led executive from parading themselves as the new executive officers of NATA in Rivers State, saying that they did not follow due process of the constitution of the body registered under Part C of the companies and Allied Matters Act and should therefore be declared null and void.
The suit also seeks to restrain the National Executive of NATA from recognizing the new executive of the body in Rivers State as they were not duely elected in accordance with the constitution of the association.

Collins Barasimeye