The All Progressives Congress (APC) has queried the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over its support for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi in the forthcoming presidential election.
Spokesperson of APC’s Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo (SAN) in a statement noted that the NLC on September 13, 2022, at a national retreat of the Labour Party in Abuja, pledged to mobilize its members across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria to ensure victory for Mr Obi, in forthcoming 2023 general election.
Part of the statement reads: “We also note that in several interviews he granted in the last few months and weeks, Mr. Peter Obi has vowed to totally remove subsidy on petrol if elected President.
“We also note NLC’s long-standing opposition to total removal of fuel subsidies. Other left-leaning supporters of the Labour Party were also present at the event to cheer Mr. Peter Obi.”
Meanwhile, the Council raised four questions for the leadership of the NLC to provide answers to.
“Before adopting Mr. Peter Obi as its candidate, did the leadership of the NLC have a discussion with him on the issue of removal of fuel subsidy?
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“If they did have that discussion, did Mr. Peter Obi agree to back down on the issue of subsidy removal? Was that a basis for supporting him? If he did not back down on the issue, did organised Labour agree with him?
The council demanded “If no such discussion is held, does it mean the leadership of the NLC now fully supports the removal of fuel subsidy? Or will that not be reckless of the NLC to adopt a candidate without thoroughly interrogating the candidate on his policies as they affect the Nigerian workers or the masses? The NLC must make a public statement and come clean on this.
“If the excuse is that Mr. Peter Obi has said that the money saved will be used in other critical areas of the economy, how is that different from what the Buhari’s Government is also saying?”
It added that these questions have become important because Nigerians need to know if organized Labour’s adopted party, which is the Labour Party, supports and promotes a policy that the leadership of labour opposes in another breath when it is employed by the government of the day.
The Minister of State, Labour and Employment, said: “They cannot be blowing hot and cold. As our Council stands for issue-based campaigns, we call on all members of the 4th Estate of the Realm not to sweep this point under the carpet and to thoroughly interrogate the NLC and the Labour Party on the one hand; and the seemingly right-leaning supporters of the Labour Party and Mr. Peter Obi on the other, on this issue so that they will come clean before Nigerians”.