The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, says the labour union would have disowned the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, if he had adopted the policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank had he been elected President of Nigeria.
Ajaero, who was on a Morning Brief breakfast programme on Tuesday, described the position of the NLC on the removal of petrol subsidy and electricity subsidy as “fixated,” adding that the labour union would have it tough with any LP President who implements the policies of Bretton Woods institutions which support the removal of subsidies on electricity tariff and petrol.
The NLC President said, “He (Obi) is the presidential candidate of Labour Party but does he own NLC or the Labour Party? Why can’t you separate them? Whosoever is the presidential candidate or official of the Labour Party must buy into our projects. If he says he was going to undertake those policies, let him be elected and try such policies.
“Whether a presidential candidate of a party that Labour forms would dictate for Labour? The answer is known to everybody. The policies of Labour, the ideologies of Labour are clear and we are going to pursue it. If anybody is coming with another ideology, he is going to have it tough with us because that is not what we stand for.
“It (our approach) would have been worst for anybody flying the flag of Labour Party to come and implement these policies, to come and adopt the policies of the IMF and the World Bank. It would have been worst for the person. In fact, we would disown the person, he would be on his own. We have to make this distinction clear.”
Meanwhile, Obi has explained why he paid what close associates described as “private visits” to prominent leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday.
The reported visits were made to former vice president and presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar; former Senate President and ex-governor of Kwara, Bukola Saraki, and former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido.
But Obi’s visit to these PDP stalwarts has raised questions about future plans of Nigeria’s main opposition parties, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State was Atiku’s running mate on the PDP presidential ticket during the 2019 general elections.
However, they lost to former President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The reported visits were made to former vice president and presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar; former Senate President and ex-governor of Kwara, Bukola Saraki, and former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido.
But Obi’s visit to these PDP stalwarts has raised questions about future plans of Nigeria’s main opposition parties, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State was Atiku’s running mate on the PDP presidential ticket during the 2019 general elections.
However, they lost to former President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
