But there is a lot of confusion over the recent actions of the workers’ union as it is planning to organise a mega rally in Kebbi in support of the ruling All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Dr. Nasir Idris in the state.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned its members in Adamawa State not to vote for Mustapha Madawaki, the Labour Party governorship candidate in the state.
But there is a lot of confusion over the recent actions of the workers’ union as it is planning to organise a mega rally in Kebbi in support of the ruling All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Dr. Nasir Idris in the state.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, in a statement obtained by SaharaReporters said Madawaki, the Labour Party’s governorship candidate in Adamawa, has a questionable character and is being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
It was learnt that Madawaki, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kriston Lally, and the NLC years back initiated a mass housing project which promised to deliver houses at competitive prices but the plan collapsed when accusations of illegal withdrawals of subscribers’ funds and inability to provide land surfaced.
“That until Mr. Mustapha Umar Madawaki establishes his innocence, the Nigeria Labour Congress would never lend its support to such suspicious characters who have very serious criminal charges in the court of law. The policy of the NLC is to support only candidates of the Labour Party who meet its requirements of strength of character and commitment to the ideology cum Charter of Demands of the Nigerian working class,” Ayuba had said.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress enjoins all workers in Adamawa State not to recognize or identify with or support or vote for Mr. Mustapha Umar Madawaki. NLC has communicated this decision to the Labour Party; a party formed by Organized Labour; and
“The Nigeria Labour Congress reiterates that Mr. Mustapha Madawaki in an apparent display of crass impunity and consistent with a pattern of grand deception took Organized Labour in Adamawa State to court claiming defamation of character. We hope he would pursue that case to a logical conclusion as Nigerians are eager to watch the parody of how quickly an accused can suddenly adorn himself in the robe of an accuser. If he manages to show up in court, we are ready to account to the court how Mr. Mustapha Madawaki wants to swim in the sweats of Nigerian workers to the governorship seat of Adamawa State.”
However, the union, which has now disowned the Labour Party’s governorship candidate in Adamawa seems to be confused as it had asked workers and the general populace to vote for Labour Party candidates across all elective positions in the 2023 general elections.
Meanwhile, the same workers’ union has declared support for the APC governorship candidate in Kebbi State. Idris is the Deputy President of the NLC.
“What can we call this sort of confusion from the Labour bureaucracy? You are campaigning and mobilising for APC in Kebbi but you are asking people not to vote for Labour in Adamawa. Then you are saying people should vote for Labour Party in other places,” a top NLC member told SaharaReporters.