Wednesday is election day for ASUU branches.

According to The PREMIER, branches of the Academic Staff Union of Universities will begin their customary vote today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday) about the union’s ongoing strike.

The National Executive Council will receive the various branches’ decisions for final decision-making.

This information was provided to our correspondent in Abuja by a highly-placed source within the NEC on Tuesday.

“We received the instruction following yesterday’s meeting with the speaker (Monday). The assistance arrived on schedule. Branches will vote between now and tomorrow, and the NEC will meet to discuss the results, the source said.
According to the PREMIER NEWS, the new development follows a meeting with Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the House of Representatives, who requested many talks between the union and the side of the Federal Government.

The strike would end in a few days, according to Femi Gbajabiamila, SAN, the lead attorney for ASUU, who also stated this to The Premier News.

The government’s inability to satisfy ASUU’s unmet requests, according to the union, prompted the union to go on strike on Monday, February 14, 2022.

After “failed negotiations,” the minister of labor and employment Chris Ngige hauled the lecturers on strike to the National Industrial Court.
On September 21, the National Industrial Court ordered ASUU to end the strike.

The federal government’s request on notice was granted by the court, ordering the lecturers back into the classrooms.

In his decision on the interlocutory injunction, trial judge Polycarp Hamman prohibited ASUU from carrying out the industrial action until the outcome of the lawsuit brought by the federal government against ASUU.

Unhappy with the decision, the union went to the appeals court to challenge it.

Additionally, a request for a stay of the Industrial Court’s judgment was made.

The Court of Appeal rejected ASUU’s request for a stay of the lower court’s judgment, and as a result, ordered the lecturers on strike to “immediately” end their eight-month walkout.
It stated that ASUU had the right to challenge the industrial court’s ruling.

According to the panel, should the applicant disobey the order (of the lower court), the leave granted will be immediately revoked, supporting the federal government’s claim that ASUU cannot approach the appellate court with “dirty hands.”