The All Progressives’ Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, has challenged the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and other left-wing supporters of Labour Party, LP, to come open on their stand on the LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi’s vow to remove fuel subsidy if elected.
The charge is coming just as the leadership of the organised labour under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, on Monday, September 13, 2022, at a national retreat of the Labour Party, in Abuja, promised to mobilise its members across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria, to ensure victory for Mr. Obi, in next year’s presidential election.
Mr. Obi had in several interviews in the last few months and weeks, vowed to totally remove subsidy on petrol, if elected President.
The APC Presidential Campaign Council, in a statement by its Director, Media and Public Affairs and Official Spokesperson and Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, SAN, also noted that the NLC had over the years exhibited a long-standing and perpetual opposition to total removal of fuel subsidy.
To this end, the APC Campaign Council Spokesperson believes the following questions are urgently begging for answers by the leadership of the NLC:
“1. 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?
2. 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?
3. If no such discussion 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.
4. If the excuse is that Mr. Peter Obi has said 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?”
According to the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, the questions become necessary because Nigerians deserve to know whether the organised Labour’s adopted party, the Labour Party, supports and promotes a policy that the leadership of Labour opposes when it was adopted by the government of the day.
Mr. Keyamo noted that the NLC cannot be blowing hot and cold at the same time.
His words: “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.”
