Musa Mohammed has been reappointed as the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN)’s (RTEAN) duly elected Executive President by the Court of Appeal.
The three-member panel, which was presided over by Justice Hamma Barka but read by Justice Abba Mohammed, decided not to hear Eriyo Osakpamwan’s lawsuit, describing it as academic and devoid of practical relevance because the case’s duration (2018-2023) had already passed and a new election had been held in the interim.
The panel unanimously decided that proceeding with the matter would not have a beneficial legal purpose because the circumstances had already predominated the appeal.
Justice Mohammed argued in the lead judgment that courts are used to resolve real-world legal disputes rather than academic debate.
When a suit has no practical value for the parties involved, it is academic. The current leadership is already in place as of 2023, and the current tenure expired. He claimed that the court could not turn the page.
Justice Eberechi Nyesom-Wike concurred that Alhaji Musa Mohammed’s tenure, which is contested, ended in 2023, while 2025 is now. Therefore, neither party is in any way benefiting from this appeal. Now, the appeal is theoretical. There was still a live issue between the parties at the time the appeal was filed in 2021. I concur that the appeal should be dropped because it is academic.
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The National Industrial Court (NIC) decision in 2020, which declared the emergence of Mr. Yusuf Ibrahim Adeniyi as the RTEAN’s national president and secretary-general, respectively, illegal, led to the leadership dispute.
Musa Mohammed was recognized as the organization’s legitimate president in the court’s 2018 and 2019 resolutions.
Osakpamwan was unhappy, so he appealed on seven grounds before dropping six, leaving only a question of jurisdiction, specifically whether the NIC had the authority to hear the matter without seeking conciliation or arbitration, as permitted by the Trade Disputes Act.
Given the lapsed time of the contested tenure, the Court of Appeal decided that procedural procedures like conciliation should be used to start litigation.
Effectively, the decision puts an end to a five-year legal tussle over the association’s leadership.
Mohammed praised RTEAN members nationwide for their patience and loyalty, and the judiciary for upholding justice in his response.
The legitimacy of this decision is demonstrated by the stability of RTEAN’s internal governance and the strength of our democratic institutions. He declared that “we are moving forward — unwavering, focused, and ready to serve the interests of all Nigerian transport employers.”
He also urged all members to work together to promote cohesion and advancement, including former opponents. He also extended an olive branch to all members.
Let’s put the past behind us and concentrate on creating a stronger RTEAN that will be effective for promoting national development, he added.
Source: Channels TV
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