Joe Ajaero, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has said labour leaders owe no one any apology supporting the presidential bid of the Labour Party standard-bearer in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi.
Ajaero stated this while reacting to speculations that the union is pushing for a strike because of its political affiliation to LP and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
He added that the NLC’s demand following the removal of fuel subsidy by the administration of President Bola Tinubu does not have any political undertone.
Speaking on Tuesday during an interview with TVC, Ajaero added that labour leaders had always been involved in politics and there is no law against such, adding that the current Labour Party was formed by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
He said: “You wanted the NLC to be apolitical? because the NLC from day one has been forming political parties. From around 1918, there was a political party. In 1945. Michael Imodu and others formed a political party. In the 1960s, Imodu and Ekong formed another political party which was disrupted by the civil war. In 87, Pascal Abafia and others formed a political party.
“The current Labour Party you are seeing was formed by Adams Oshiomhole in 2003 and it has been on till we met it. We don’t have any apology for having a political party because the two existing political parties can not accommodate us.
“Tell the people that are saying this of our affiliation; it is only in Labour Party that the son of a mechanic or a mechanic can run for election and I want to challenge you to prove that even the current National Assembly people who are okada riders through the Labour Party are there and it is a forum for us.
“So if anybody is talking of political affiliation, we don’t have any sympathy for it. All over the world, we have Labour Party.”