President of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Akanni McDowall has been suspended from his duties and all activities of that union, Nation News has been reliably informed.
According to multiple well-placed sources, the National Council met at 3 p.m. yesterday and took the decision to suspend McDowall pending investigations into allegations that he brought the NUPW into disrepute.
The move has serious implications for McDowall’s ability to defend his run for a third term as president.
“Mr McDowall was not present at the meeting and I can tell you that there were only very few voices that objected to the decision. Whether or not he [McDowall] can participate in the elections would depend on if the matter is resolved by the July 15 election date. The National Council meeting was largely attended and we now have to wait until the process runs its course,” one source who attended the meeting said.
When contacted, McDowall declined to comment on the issue, stating only that he would issue a statement later on the development.
Additionally, McDowall has only a few hours remaining to submit his nomination for the post and sources within the NUPW secretariat have informed Nation News that up to 1 p.m., no nomination from from the president has been submitted.
In recent weeks, the union has been embroiled in a contentious bid to make McDowall its first secretary general. (CLM)
