The Nigeria Labour Congress NLC has announced plans to rebrand the Labour Party LP as part of efforts to reclaim the party and realign it with its founding ideology....READ ORIGINAL & FULL CONTENT FROM SOURCE | READ ORIGINAL & FULL CONTENT FROM SOURCE...
The move comes amid a long-standing internal crisis within the party, which has been struggling with leadership disputes and factional disagreements.
In a communiqué released after its National Executive Council NEC meeting in Yola, Adamawa State, the NLC, led by its President Joe Ajaero, directed the National Administrative Council NAC to take immediate action to restructure the party. The NLC also opened the door for possible mergers or coalitions with like-minded political groups ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The decision to rebrand the Labour Party follows concerns that the party has drifted away from its original vision of defending the rights of Nigerian workers and the oppressed masses. According to the NLC, the current leadership of the party, under Julius Abure, does not represent the interests of workers, leading to a disconnect between the party and the labour movement.
The communiqué stated, “After carefully examining the unfortunate events in the Labour Party, which was a creation of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and the opaqueness that pervades its activities, NEC-in-session directed the National Administrative Council (NAC) to take immediate steps, which may include rebranding, merger or forming of coalitions to defend the interests of NLC and Nigerian workers in the party with a view to reclaiming the party and returning it to its original ideological roots.
“The congress will not allow the Labour Party to be hijacked by reactionary forces who do not represent the aspirations of the working people and broader Nigerian people.
“The NLC remains committed to ensuring that the party remains a true vehicle for the emancipation of Nigerian workers and the oppressed masses.”
An On-Air Personality, Joseph Ojobo, told our correspondent in Abuja that the era of strong labour unions had ended in Nigeria.
According to him, “There is nothing like a labour union in Nigeria right now. They are all about their selfish interests.
“When NLC was NLC, all this nonsense won’t happen. I remember in 2012 when former president Goodluck Jonathan removed the fuel subsidy, labour shut down the whole country and I was stuck in the village after Christmas.
“These days, the only thing NLC does is issuing statements here and there. No action, no strike, no protest. See the level of hardship Nigerians are going through yet everywhere is quiet as if nothing is happening.
“Anybody can come up anytime and increase the price of whatever service they provide and Nigerian workers have no one to speak on their behalf.”
Similarly, a socio-political activist, Adebanjo Idowu Mathew called for the sack of NLC leadership to pave the way for another set of labour leaders.
He said, “The truth is that even the government doesn’t take them seriously again since they became involved in politics. Imagine a labour union claiming ownership of a political party. They publicly declared support for a presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections.
“So the ruling party sees them as opposition. To redeem the name, the current leadership needs to go let’s have fresh people, who understand the struggle better and not those interested in themselves alone.
“The first mistake they made was endorsing a presidential candidate. Even if the candidate had won, there would still be problems because, how do you hold a government you brought into power accountable? It won’t work”.
Also, a civil servant, Mrs Anthonia Adikwu accused the leadership of the union of living large at the “expense of those they are meant to protect”.
“They travel abroad for checkups, driving exotic cars and living large at the expense of those they are meant to protect.
“They are not different from those at the helm of power. NLC leadership and government officials are all fighting for themselves. Nobody cares about the masses,” she stated.
Meanwhile, NLC’s Head of Information, Benson Upah, could not be reached for comment as of the time of filing the report.
