The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday vowed to mobilise its members across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria to achieve victory for Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in next year’s presidential election.
BASIC FACTS
- The Nigeria Labour Congress vowed to mobilize for Labour Party Presidential candidate Peter Obi.
- NLC is the parent body of the Labour Party and the largest labour union in Nigeria.
- The Labour Party is a political movement registered by the NLC to fight for political power for the interest of the Nigerian workers.
WHAT WE KNOW
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), has said it is going all out for the February 2023 presidential election. This time, the NLC says it will mobilize for Labour Party Presidential candidate Peter Obi.
The Labour Party is a political party registered by the labour union to protect the interest of the Nigerian workers in a democratic environment.
NLC National President, Ayuba Wabba, said this on Monday at the National Retreat of the party in Abuja.
He said that perhaps this would put stop to the insinuations by those who think the Labour Party has no structure.
The NLC boss emphasized that the union and party have structures that can win elections.
Ayuba Waba also defended the youths of the country as not lazy but have been failed by various governments.
The Labour Party support base is made of majority of the youths of the nation who are fed up with the existing structures.
NOTABLE QUOTES
The NLC president at the retreat said, “One issue that we must take very serious is actually conscientising our members and also Nigerians because Nigeria is so much divided along many primordial interests and many interests that are self-centred that we need to address,”
“No country in the world can prosper and work in unity if the country is so divided. So one of the responsibilities of Labour Party is to unite Nigerians along a common goal of development and prosperity,”
“Let us organise at all levels. Let us send a message at all levels. I assure you that as Britain did it in 1945 when all the structures were actually won by the Labour Party and recently… Australia also did the same,”
“It’s not that we don’t have we have structures; human beings are the structures. It is just to activate the structures and put them to use. It’s just like a weapon in military circles. You service them when the need arises.
“So the need has (arisen) for all the structures of the political commission of both TUC and NLC to be activated in all the 774 local governments. Importantly, also the structures of all our affiliates, both TUC and NLC, membership together is 12 million.”
“I am so happy that the youths have aligned themselves with the structures and the struggles of the working class – we, their parents – because we are actually parents to the students and the youths because they are actually realising that agonising alone without organising cannot take us anywhere,”
CATCH-UP
Peter Obi has since joining the Labour Party, given it a new lease of life. However, the party long been in existence, even though it has hadly won elections or in reality actually been a strong contender for political power.
Recall that the Labour Party was registered as the political arm of the NLC, however the Labour union hitherto had done little to turn the fortune of the party.
TAKEAWAY
The Nigerian Labour Congress has made it’s mark as a worthy union that can fight for the right and welfare of workers.
The Union over the years, have also proved that it has the capacity to mobilize Nigerians across ethnic, social, demographic and perhaps political divide.
However, the Union seems not to have realised that beyond forming a hitherto comatose party, it can influence the outcome of elections and decide who govern.
Perhaps now that the union has awaken from many years of political hiatus, in terms of mobilizing for votes, it can take advantage of it to influence the election of those who have the working class and downtrodden at heart.
The candidacy of Peter Obi has changed the fortune of the Labour Party. The advantage he brings to the table is the singular factor that has turned the LP into a strong force and viable political platform.
As the days role by, Nigerians will know for sure if this change of fortune for the Labour party will also translate to better days for the Nigerian workers in a government they will birth through their own party and candidate, in the person on Peter Obi.
Nevertheless, one thing is very sure – the 2023 elections may indeed be the beginning of a new dawn and emergence of a new political skyline for Nigeria.
