Mobilise Against APC Ahead of 2027 Polls, Labour Party Charges Workers
The Labour Party on Monday asked Nigerian workers to rally behind its campaign to unseat President Bola Tinubu’s administration in 2027, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress of deepening hardship and insecurity across the country.
Deputy National Chairman Dr Ayo Olorunfemi made the call during a briefing at the Nigeria Union of Journalists secretariat in Abeokuta, where he argued that workers had full constitutional rights to join political parties and even hold executive positions.
He said the party was consolidating its internal structures ahead of congresses scheduled for 2, 4 and 6 December, and urged workers to participate actively as part of a broader effort to reshape political leadership nationwide.
Olorunfemi maintained that the party had overcome its internal crisis and now operates under a unified leadership led by Julius Abure.
He announced the appointment of former factional chairman Lamidi Apapa to the party’s Board of Trustees and said former National Publicity Secretary Abayomi Arabambi would serve as acting Vice Chairman for the South-West pending NEC ratification.
“There is no provision barring civil servants from party membership. They can even hold party positions, but to contest elective offices, they must apply for leave of absence or resign,” he said.
“We are calling on the Nigerian workforce to join the Labour Party, represent their wards, local governments and states. They should pool their strength and wisdom to rescue the nation from the clueless APC government.”
He argued that workers should not limit their influence to industrial action but should instead participate directly in governance, insisting that an LP-led administration would give organised labour a central role in policy decisions.
“To be free from hardship, insecurity and falsehood, workers must join the Labour Party, which shares their ideology. They should not remain loyal to the party of their state governor if it does not prioritise their welfare. Workers must team with us to send APC packing in 2027. Enough is enough,” he added.
Olorunfemi dismissed claims of lingering divisions within the party, describing them as “market noise” with no relevance to its operations. He said the Supreme Court had affirmed the validity of the convention that produced Abure and declared that courts had no jurisdiction over internal party leadership matters.
Arabambi, who spoke at the event, thanked the party for his new role and criticised Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration as “incompetent,” promising that an LP government would prioritise transparency and citizen welfare.
The Labour Party secured 6,101,533 votes in the 2023 presidential election, winning 11 states including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory. It also won the Abia governorship, 34 House of Representatives seats and seven senatorial seats.
However, lingering leadership disputes—between Abure’s camp and another group led by former Finance Minister Nenadi Usman—have continued to raise concerns about the party’s cohesion ahead of the next general election.
