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From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
A fresh crisis is emerging within Nigeria’s organised labour movement as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Working People United (WoPU) under the leadership of immediate past President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Williams Akporeha, over the political allegiance of workers ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The dispute follows WoPU’s open support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid and the NLC leadership’s objection to the emergence of the group outside the Congress structure.
WoPU, in a press statement on Friday, accused the Comrade Joe Ajaero-led NLC of breaching the rights of workers to freedom of association, citing a query issued to the Chairperson of its Lagos State Council, Comrade Agnes Sessi, over her role in the inauguration of its Lagos Chapter on August 12.
The event took place on Wednesday, in Lagos. Incidentally, the Chairman of NLC, Lagos State Council, Comrade Agnes Sessi is the Lagos State coordinator of the pro- Tinubu group.
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Sessi was queried for allegedly disregarding its directive not to grace the inauguration of WoPU, which had Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-olu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, among invited dignitaries in attendance.
The query, an August 11 internal memo signed by Comrade Benson Upah on behalf of the NLC, said WoPU was “not known to the congress” and was neither an affiliate of the labour centre nor known to the congress whose leadership Sessi represents in Lagos State.
It also faulted Sessi for failing to share with the leadership of congress what the organisation was about, saying her action was “clearly in violation of the oath of office you took as chairperson of Lagos State Council. ”She was given 24 hours to respond to the allegations.
Reacting to the query and the directive to affiliates to stay away from its inauguration, WoPU accused the NLC officials of attempting to dictate the political choices of workers, particularly over support for Tinubu’s re-election.
