ABUJA: A crisis is brewing within the top echelon of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC after the national secretariat directed its affiliates to stay away from a pro-Bola Tinubu support group, the Working People United WoPU, led by the immediate-past President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers NUPENG, Comrade Williams Akporeha.
Investigations revealed that the national leadership of the NLC, led by Comrade Joe Ajaero, had issued a formal directive to its members to stay away from the inauguration of the Lagos State chapter of the pro-Tinubu group, which 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.
Investigation also revealed that Ajaero had formally queried the Chairman of its Lagos Council for allegedly disregarding its directive not to grace the inauguration of WoPU, which had Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the ruling All Progressives Congress APC governorship candidate in Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, among invited dignitaries.
In a memo dated August 11, 2026, and signed by the Deputy General Secretary and Head of the Information Department and Public Affairs of the NLC, Benson Upah, the Congress formally queried Comrade Sessi over her role in the group.
“Your involvement in the activities of the organisation appears to be in violation of the oath of office you took as Chairperson of the Lagos State Council and raises serious concerns regarding your obligations to the Congress,” the memo read.
The memo further accused her of “betraying the oath of office,” “acting in contravention of the established rules, regulations and directives of the Congress,” “promoting or supporting a parallel organisation to the Congress,” and “undermining the authority of the national body,” stating also that the Chairman had failed to inform or consult the Congress leadership before fraternising with the group promoting a fresh mandate for President Tinubu.
Reacting to the development in a press statement, the National Coordinator General of the pro-Tinubu forum, Comrade Akporeha, faulted the directive of the NLC national secretariat instructing presidents and general secretaries of affiliate unions not to associate with WoPU, describing it as a gross violation of the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and the International Labour Organization ILO Convention on freedom of association.
“They have now ignored their constitutional mandate of protecting workers welfare to dabble into politics for the single reason of being against the re-election of Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in 2027.
“Working People United sees this directive as an afront on the sensibility of Nigerian workers, Nigerian working people, Nigerian citizens and our constitution and rights,” Akporeha said, adding: “WoPU views this directive as a fundamental violation of the constitutional rights of Nigerian workers to freedom of association as enshrined in Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which guarantees: ‘Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons, and in particular he may form or belong to any political party, trade union or any other association for the protection of his/her interests.'”
Comrade Akporeha, who maintained that “no law in NLC constitution requires that a political support group must seek approval of some persons in the hierarchy before it operates,” further accused Comrade Ajaero of coercing affiliates of the NLC to support only the candidates of the Labour Party LP.
“Working People United WoPU is a convergent of like minds across all professions, artisans, Market Men & women, working people from formal sectors & informal sectors, private and public sectors, who have decided to support the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and other progressive minded candidates seeking leadership, against the forced coercion of the Ajaero Led NLC to support a candidate and a party he wishes for his own personal promised gains,” the statement read.
“It is unfortunate that some persons in NLC are now arrogating powers they do not possess by directing individual, Unions, affiliates that their members should only join and support Labour Party. We recollect how this person has tried to coerce all workers to join LP and support a particular candidate in the last election and still doing same in 2027, against the freedom of association of individual.
“It should be noted that, the NLC is a group of individual unions with their rights and decision via their various organs as enshrined and govern by their individual constitution and not by any person in NLC.
“It is unfortunate, the assertion of not taking permission from some few leaders of NLC, for individuals to exercise their constitutional fundamental human rights to belong to any association of his/her choice is now a treasonable offence. To say the least, this is laughable and appalling that some few individuals are trying to drag our highly respected NLC to this very lowest ebb. This constitutes a threat, deliberate and direct affront against the rights of working people to freely associate,” the statement said.
