When Afrobeats star Davido mocked National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) President Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, over the suspension of the union’s activities in Osun State, many Nigerians saw it as just another celebrity feud. Portable soon joined the conversation, throwing his weight behind MC Oluomo and taking a swipe at Davido, turning the issue into a trending issue online.
But beneath the exchanges, insults and political loyalties lies a much bigger question that has sparked legal debates for years.
Can a state governor constitutionally suspend the activities of a nationally registered trade union such as the NURTW?
That question has divided politicians, lawyers, transport workers and constitutional experts after Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke ordered the suspension of NURTW activities across motor parks in the state following violent clashes between rival factions. While the Osun State Government insisted the decision was necessary to restore peace and prevent further violence, the union’s national leadership rejected the directive outright, arguing that no governor has the legal authority to suspend its operations.
The disagreement has since grown beyond a security issue into a constitutional debate over where the powers of state governments begin and end.
How Did The Osun NURTW Crisis Begin?
The latest controversy did not start with Davido or MC Oluomo. It began with a struggle for control of motor parks in Osun State.
Around Monday, July 20, rival factions of the NURTW reportedly clashed in parts of Osogbo. Gunshots were allegedly fired during the confrontation, raising fears of an escalation in violence and forcing security agencies to increase surveillance in affected areas. The tension prompted immediate reactions from stakeholders.
By Tuesday, July 21, the Osun chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) had begun making moves aimed at calming the situation as concerns grew over security in the state’s motor parks. However, events escalated further.
On Thursday, July 23, Governor Ademola Adeleke convened a meeting of the Osun State Security Council attended by senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Army, Navy, Air Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NDLEA, Immigration Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, Amotekun Corps and other security agencies.
At the end of the meeting, the governor announced far-reaching measures. He directed security agencies to immediately stop all activities of the NURTW across motor parks in Osun State.
He also suspended the collection of transport levies and ordered law enforcement agencies to arrest anyone operating in the name of the union within the parks.
Governor Adeleke clarified that his directive was not aimed at shutting down transportation activities. Instead, he said the focus was to prevent further violence while restoring order. According to him:
“I hereby direct the Police and other security agents to stop all activities of the union in all our parks across the state. I’m not saying you should close the parks, but you should not allow anyone to operate in the parks in the name of the union in our parks. Anyone found contravening this order should be arrested for possible prosecution for disturbance of public peace.”
To enforce the directive, the governor also approved the immediate establishment of a Rapid Response Squad made up of different security agencies to monitor compliance.
For the Osun State Government, the directive was a security measure intended to prevent further clashes and maintain public order.
But the national leadership of the NURTW saw things differently.
Why Did MC Oluomo And The NURTW Reject Adeleke’s Directive?
The response from the NURTW came almost immediately. On Friday, July 24, the union openly rejected the governor’s directive during the inauguration of a seven-member caretaker committee for its Osun chapter in Abuja.
Representing National President MC Oluomo, the union’s Deputy National President, Aliyu Issa Ore, argued that Governor Adeleke lacked the constitutional authority to suspend the activities of a nationally recognised trade union.
According to him, the NURTW is established under federal law and does not operate under the control of any state government. Delivering the union’s position, Ore said:
“Today, we heard that the state governor in Osun suspended the activities of our union, which they don’t have that power. Not any single state governor has power to suspend the activities of the union, because we are not under any state. There is an Act that established the NURTW.”
He added that the union could not leave its Osun chapter without recognised leadership, especially with the governorship election approaching. Ore explained that the union already has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), making it necessary to maintain a recognised leadership structure in the state.
He also disclosed that the caretaker committee was inaugurated pending the resolution of the leadership crisis in Osun.
By Saturday, July 25, competing claims over who should control the union in Osun had further deepened the crisis.
While the state government recognised one leadership structure, the national body insisted that the newly appointed caretaker committee headed by Alhaji Kazeem Oyewale, popularly known as Asiri Eniba, remained the legitimate leadership.
By Sunday, July 26, Eniba’s camp announced that it had resumed control of parks under its authority and claimed normalcy had returned in areas under its supervision.
The disagreement had clearly moved beyond a security operation. It had become a struggle over authority, constitutional powers and who ultimately controls transport union activities in Osun State.
How Davido and Portable Turned A Legal Dispute Into A Social Media Battle
The debate might have remained a legal and political issue. Instead, it exploded on social media.
On Monday, July 27, Davido publicly defended his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke. Reacting to MC Oluomo’s comments, the singer mocked the transport union leader’s communication skills, writing:
“MC Oluomo wey no fit compose sentence dey talk 😂 Kudosuuuu.”
In another post directed at the NURTW president, he added:
“@kingmcoluomo dem say u dey game… I doubt lol look ur mirror.”
Because Davido has become one of Governor Adeleke’s most visible political supporters ahead of the Osun governorship election, many viewed his comments as more than a family defence. They were also seen as part of the wider political contest surrounding the election.
His posts quickly went viral, drawing thousands of reactions from supporters and critics alike.
Some praised him for standing behind the governor’s efforts to restore peace, while others argued that the singer had shifted attention away from the constitutional issues and turned the debate into a personal attack.
The controversy took another turn when singer Portable entered the conversation. Seemingly backing MC Oluomo, Portable posted:
“Awon Omo Ope Yapa
Aiyedade Eruku yapa
Abi you won run comot for Naija Ni
You go japa go Atlanta
Who dey put body
Mc OluOmo no small oo
Oga Anybody Olohun Ju Eda lo”
His comments further fuelled arguments online, with fans of both musicians joining the debate.
By the end of the day, what had started as a dispute over security, governance and constitutional powers had become one of Nigeria’s biggest celebrity and political conversations.
What Does The Constitution Actually Say?
While the exchanges between Davido, MC Oluomo and Portable dominated social media, analysts focused on a different issue: Did Governor Ademola Adeleke have the legal authority to suspend the activities of the NURTW?
The answer is not as straightforward as it may appear.
Governors have constitutional responsibilities to maintain law and order in their states. However, the NURTW argues that because it is a nationally registered trade union, no state governor can suspend or dissolve its activities.
To understand the debate, it is important to separate the union itself from the motor parks where it operates.
- Trade Unions Are Under Federal Law
The NURTW is registered under the Trade Unions Act, a federal law.
Under Item 34 of the Exclusive Legislative List in the Second Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, trade unions fall within the legislative powers of the National Assembly. This means matters relating to the creation, regulation and dissolution of trade unions are federal responsibilities rather than state matters.
It is this constitutional provision that MC Oluomo and the union’s leadership relied on when they argued that Governor Adeleke lacked the power to suspend the union.
In other words, the union’s argument is that while a governor may take security measures within a state, those powers do not extend to suspending a federally recognised trade union.
- Motor Parks Are A Different Matter
Although trade unions fall under federal law, the Constitution treats motor parks differently.
Paragraph 1(e) of the Fourth Schedule assigns the establishment, maintenance and regulation of motor parks to local government councils. This distinction has become one of the biggest legal issues in the current dispute.
Some legal experts argue that while a governor cannot dissolve or suspend the NURTW as a trade union, authorities can impose temporary restrictions on activities within public motor parks during periods of violence or serious security threats.
Governor Adeleke’s directive reflected this distinction. Rather than announcing the dissolution of the union, he instructed security agencies to stop anyone from operating in the name of the NURTWwithin motor parks across Osun State while the security situation was brought under control.
Supporters of the governor believe this was a security measure rather than an attempt to abolish the union.
Critics, however, insist that stopping the union from operating amounts to suspending its activities, something they argue only the Federal Government can lawfully do.
- The Right To Freedom Of Association
Another constitutional issue raised by the controversy is Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees every Nigerian’s right to peaceful assembly and association, including the right to belong to a trade union.
For this reason, labour organisations have consistently argued that executive directives suspending trade unions interfere with constitutionally protected rights unless backed by law.
The debate, therefore, is not only about transport unions. It is also about the balance between public safety and citizens’ constitutional rights.
What Have The Courts Said?
The disagreement between state governments and the NURTW is not new. Several governors have, over the years, suspended or restricted the union’s activities during periods of violence.
But one of the most significant legal decisions came from Oyo State. In May 2019, Governor Seyi Makinde proscribed the activities of the NURTW following violent leadership disputes and replaced the union with the Park Management System (PMS).
The matter eventually reached the Court of Appeal in Ibadan. The court overturned the ban, holding that the governor lacked the legal authority to proscribe a federally registered trade union.
The case was argued by senior lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), who maintained that only the Federal Government has powers over trade unions established under federal law.
The judgment has since become one of the strongest legal references whenever questions arise about whether governors can suspend NURTW operations.
Although every case depends on its specific facts, the Court of Appeal’s decision continues to shape public debate on the limits of state executive powers.
Osun Is Not The First State
The current dispute is part of a pattern that has played out across several states.
In 2005, then Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu suspended NURTW activities after security reports warned of possible attacks by rival factions.
In 2019, Governor Seyi Makinde proscribed the union in Oyo State before the Court of Appeal later declared the action unlawful.
In 2020, Governor Dapo Abiodun backed measures restricting the union’s activities in Ogun State following internal crises.
In 2021, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu ordered an indefinite suspension of NURTW operations in parts of Ondo State after deadly clashes between rival groups.
In 2022, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu suspended the union’s activities in Lagos after leadership disputes created security concerns across motor parks.
Now, in 2026, Governor Adeleke has taken similar action in Osun, once again raising constitutional questions that have remained unresolved despite repeated confrontations between state governments and transport unions.
The pattern is clear. Whenever violence erupts around motor parks, governors often intervene in the name of public safety.
The union, however, continues to insist that such actions amount to unconstitutional interference in the affairs of a federally recognised organisation.
So, Does A Governor Have The Constitutional Power To Suspend NURTW Activities?
Based on the Constitution, previous court decisions and the arguments put forward by both sides, the answer is more nuanced than many social media debates suggest.
A governor has a constitutional duty to protect lives and maintain public order within the state. That responsibility may justify temporary security measures aimed at preventing violence in motor parks or stopping the collection of levies while tensions are high.
However, the Constitution places trade unions under federal legislative authority, and the courts have previously held that a governor cannot lawfully dissolve or permanently proscribe a nationally registered trade union such as the NURTW.
That distinction lies at the centre of the current dispute in Osun.
Supporters of Governor Adeleke argue that he acted to restore peace after violent clashes threatened public safety.
The NURTW insists that, regardless of the circumstances, only the Federal Government has the legal authority to suspend or regulate the union itself.
Whether the governor’s directive amounts to a legitimate security measure or an unconstitutional interference with a federal trade union is ultimately a question that may require judicial interpretation if the dispute proceeds to court.
Conclusion
The online exchanges between Davido, MC Oluomo and Portable may have dominated headlines, but they are only one chapter in a much larger story.
At its heart, the Osun NURTW crisis is a test of Nigeria’s constitutional structure. It raises difficult questions about the limits of executive power, the rights of trade unions, the responsibilities of local governments and the duty of state authorities to maintain public order during periods of unrest.
As political activities intensify ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election, the dispute is likely to remain in the spotlight. Yet, long after the social media posts have faded and the political campaigns have ended, one question will still demand an answer:
Can a governor suspend the activities of a nationally recognised trade union, or does the Constitution reserve that power for the Federal Government alone?
Until a court provides fresh clarity, that constitutional question—not the celebrity exchanges—is what will define the significance of the Osun NURTW controversy.
