It is a mere blackmail – Labour

By Shina Abubakar Osogbo

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State has alleged that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC in the state was induced with N172million to endorse Governor Ademola Adeleke at its 2025 May Day celebration.

The APC in a statement issued by its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi on Thursday, alleged that the leadership of the labour unions in the state were bribed to endorse the governor.

It reads, “We gathered that the organized labour organisations in the state have been induced to adopt the Governor Adeleke for the second term during the May Day anniversary slated for the Fakunle Comprehensive High School, Osogbo, Osun State.

“To this effect, it has been scooped that the state government has made available the sum of N172 million for the leadership of NLC. With the sharing formula of N97 million for the factionalized NULGE while both the NLC and the TUC are smiling to the bank with a sum of N75 million each meaning that the Governor Adeleke-led government coughed out N172 million as an inducement for the labour unions to adopt him for second term on May Day.

“Information has it that the purpose of the cash inducement by the state government for the labour unions is to encourage the leaders of the unions to adopt the candidature of Governor Adeleke for second term during the May Day celebration.

“In order to make the forceful second term adoption exercise rosy, the state government has bought Ankara uniforms for all the government workers in the state with a directive to them to flood the venue of the event on the May Day in order to give a false popularity and acceptability to the embattled Governor Adeleke whose popularity is waning on daily basis for acts of mis-governance”.

Reacting the Trade Union Congress, TUC, Chairman, Bimbo Fasasi in a tarse text message, described APC’s statement as mere blackmail that does not deserve to be discussed in open space.

“Laughable! That’s all I can say. It is a cheap blackmail, baseless and unworthy of occupying public space for discussion”, the text reads.