Comrade Udoagha Ani has emerged as the newly elected State President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Enugu State Chapter, following the union’s 9th Quadrennial Delegates Conference held on April 15, 2026, at Destiny Event Centre, Enugu.
The conference, conducted by the NULGE National Secretariat led by the National President General, Comrade Allyu Haruna Kankara, brought together top national officers including the Secretary General, Comrade Isaa Gambo, state presidents, state secretaries, and labour leaders in the state led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Chairperson, Comrade Fabian Nwigbo.
Ani, alongside 12 other members of the newly elected State Administrative Council (SAC), will pilot the affairs of the union for the next four years beginning from June 6, 2026, when the tenure of the current executives expires.
Other elected officials include Comrade Obetta Jonas as Deputy State President; Comrade Amb. Ogechukwu Ugwu as State Women Committee Chairperson; Comrade Jude Umeh as Treasurer; Comrade Otti Edith and Comrade Obasi Felix as Trustees; Comrade Joseph Nnamani and Comrade Ngwu George as Auditors; Comrade Nwelem Charles as State Publicity Secretary; Comrade Kenechukwu Chinwe, Comrade Joseph Okwor, and Comrade Ifeanyi Ezeja as Welfare Officers; and Comrade Uwaezuoke Chukwurma as Young Workers Representative.
Speaking after the election, Ani described the process as peaceful, transparent, and highly successful.
“The election was seamless. It was very highly successful by all standards. There were no hitches,” he said.
He noted that national union leaders, including the National President General, the General Secretary, Deputy General Secretary, Deputy National Treasurer, and the South-East Zonal President General, were all present and witnessed the exercise.
“They were witnesses to what transpired in the hall. It was a good feeling. The election went on smoothly, without any hitches,” he stated.
According to him, out of the 13 positions contested, only three required actual voting, while the remaining ten positions were returned unopposed.
“The councils voted one after the other. Local government branches voted one after the other, line by line, very organised. I think we would recommend that election format to every other organisation because the election was highly organised,” Ani added.
He said the process was so credible that even the visiting national officers and labour leaders commended the conduct of the exercise.
“The guests, like the National President, the General Secretary, and the State NLC Chairman, were so excited that when they were making their speeches, they commended the conduct of the election,” he said.
Ani also used the opportunity to commend Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah for creating what he described as an enabling environment for workers and for allowing the union to conduct its affairs without interference.
“I must not fail to thank the Comrade Governor of Enugu State, Barrister Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, the labour-friendly governor. I would thank him immensely for giving us the enabling environment to conduct this election,” he said.
“The election was without interference by the government, and no wonder it came out successful without hitches.”
He praised Governor Mbah for what he described as equitable treatment of local government workers, particularly in the implementation of wage policies and conditions of service.
“He has shown enough that he is very worker-friendly, especially to local government workers. He does not show disparity at all. What he does for the state service is what is done for the local government,” Ani said.
He recalled that under Mbah’s administration, the full implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage was approved swiftly, unlike under previous administrations where local government workers had to struggle for partial implementation.
“When we made the first appeal for the full implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage, he approved it almost immediately. It was done within seven days,” he said.
Ani also praised the governor for going beyond the federal government’s approved N70,000 minimum wage by implementing an N80,000 minimum wage across both state and local government services.
“When the federal government approved N70,000, Enugu State surprised everyone by approving N80,000. His Excellency made it clear that this included local government workers and that there would be no disparity,” he said.
Describing the election outcome as a referendum on his leadership, Ani said securing over 95 percent of the votes cast was a strong vote of confidence from workers.
“What happened that day could best be described as a referendum. Imagine when one is garnering over 95 percent of the total votes cast. Nothing can explain that other than it was a referendum,” he said.
He called for unity among members and urged his opponents to see the union as one family.
“NULGE is one family. In organised labour, we don’t have multiple parties. We just have one family. The house is too big for all of us and it will accommodate everyone,” he said.
Ani assured workers that his administration would push harder for improved welfare and better service conditions.
“The reward for more work is more work. The mandate is for us to do much more than we have done. We are going to press more for whatever outstanding demands the workers have,” he said.
He pledged that the union would continue to support Governor Mbah’s administration while improving productivity and service delivery across the local government system in Enugu State.
