THE Coalition of Concerned Jigawa State Pensioners has described the planned conduct of local government branch elections by the outgoing executive council of the National Union of Pensioners (NUP) in the state as illegal, unconstitutional, and mischievous.
In a joint statement signed by Comrade Abdullahi Muhammad Bulangu and Comrade Habibu Galadi, the coalition urged the National Secretariat of the NUP to immediately dissolve the current state executive council, accusing it of overstaying its mandate.
The statement alleged that the proposed elections lacked legitimacy due to the absence of legal and authentic delegates qualified to participate in the process, making any such move null and void.
“The outgoing executives have no legal grounds to conduct elections at this stage. Their plan is not only mischievous but also an outright violation of the Union’s constitution,” the coalition stated.
Calling for urgent intervention, the group appealed to the NUP’s national leadership to set up a caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of the union in Jigawa.
They insisted that such a committee be tasked with organizing fresh elections at both state and local government levels.
In a stern warning to the state government, the coalition urged it not to recognize any election conducted by the outgoing executive until due process is followed and elections are held with the backing of all pensioners in the state.
“We call on the National Secretariat of the NUP to act swiftly to prevent an avoidable crisis and restore order within the union’s operations in Jigawa State,” the statement concluded.
The development signals growing discontent among pensioners in Jigawa over the alleged prolonged stay of the current union leadership and raises the prospect of further tensions if the national body fails to intervene.
