Renewed crisis in AUATON as committee adopts vote of no confidence against President Adedamola
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
The Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON) has adopted a vote of no confidence against its National President, Comrade Adedamola Adeniran. The latest development underscores a return of a leadership crisis in an association filled with factions.
According to a communiqué of the Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting held virtually on Monday, 23rd June 2025, which Technext obtained, Adeniran’s leadership role was put into question on the grounds of administrative overreach, consistent disruption of democratic processes, constitutional breaches, and medical unfitness.
“A motion was moved by Comrade Nwachukwu Chinedu and seconded by Comrade Edache Obande and the CWC unanimously adopted a vote of no confidence against the National President, Comrade Ademola Adeniran, due to constitutional breaches, administrative overreach, medical unfitness, and persistent disruption of democratic processes. In accordance with Article 16 a and b (v), Article 24 and Article 30 subsection 2,” part of the statement reads.
As the only African e-hailing union, the internal power struggles come at a time when the industry is struggling with increasing operational costs amid inflationary pressures. Also coupled with ongoing struggles over hikes in commission rates taxed on ride-hailing platforms such as Uber, Bolt, and InDrive.
When asked for further confirmation on the development, Rivers State AUATON Chairman, Amos Omoruyi, explained to Technext that CWC’s decision is subject to rectification of the National Executive Committee, which will hold in Akwa Ibom by August.
“Yes, we were informed yesterday on the NEC platform, but the decision of the CWC is still subject to the rectification of NEC, which hopefully will be conveyed in August. The NEC is made up of all the state chairmen, state secretaries, state treasurers, the CWC, and the zonal council principal officers,” Amos Omoruyi, Rivers State AUATON chairman, told Technext.
The leadership crisis is a significant blow to an association whose emergence in 2023 erupted from years of disintegration. With the need for harmonisation and unification among ride-hailing drivers, the union was formed with the merging of three previously separate associations: NACORP, PEDPAN, and NUPABTW.
Insights on the AUATON crisis
The Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON) is known to have two factions. A faction led by David Nosa Aigbornan, who was elected during the faction’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. The other faction is led by Adedamola Adeniran, whose leadership is being challenged by the opposing faction.
In his revelation of the opposing faction during a conversation with Technext last June, Comrade Ibrahim Ayoade, who is a leader of the emerging faction, where he is serving as its Acting Secretary, said that the new faction is led by an executive, David Nosa, who was elected during the faction’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting which was held on June 25.
“For your information, we have two factions within AUATON now. Our faction is led by David Nosa Aigbornan. And, we are presently in court to challenge the current executives because, based on our constitution, they are no longer members of AUATON,” Comrade Ibrahim said.
In addition, he noted that the incumbent president, Comrade Adedamola Adeniran, is a staff member of the National Institute of Police Studies. So this disqualifies him from holding executive positions within the union. He also accused Adedamola of intimidating him (Ibrahim) and other factional executives with the police to strong-arm them into dropping their suits.
In furtherance of their move, the opposing faction initiated a suit at the Industrial Court challenging the legitimacy of Adedamola Adeniran as president and the entire AUATON executive. In the court documents, members of the faction sought interpretations of several aspects of the union’s constitution.
In the suit challenging the position of the President, Adedamola Adeniran, the faction is seeking interpretations to sections which provide that persons who are not self-employed app-based workers cannot be members and that a public officer cannot stand for nomination to be elected as an officer of the union.
In his reaction to the claim, the National Ex-officio of the Adedamola Adeniran-led executives, Joseph Olawale, told Technext that the union is not factionalised or in any crisis. He added that Comrade Ibrahim is only trying to divide the union because he was kicked out of office by the Central Working Committee.
He maintained that the former general secretary’s removal followed the due process as prescribed by the union’s constitution and is in conformity with a peaceful co-existence memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by all the national officers of the union with the Federal Ministry of Labour’s Office of the Registrar for Trade Unions in December 2023.
