Chukwuma Okeke

In a stunning display of misplaced priorities, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has thrust the once-venerable union into the heart of a senatorial squabble, vowing mass protests and legal battles over the prolonged suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. This ill-advised intervention not only oversteps the NLC’s mandate but flagrantly disregards the principle of sub judice—a cornerstone of judicial integrity that prohibits interference in ongoing court cases to prevent prejudice.

With multiple lawsuits pending, including those initiated by the senator herself and allegations of her non-compliance with a Federal High Court ruling, Ajaero’s grandstanding amounts to nothing less than an assault on due process. The Senate clerk’s decision to bar her resumption until these matters are resolved is not “legislative bad faith,” as the NLC claims, but a prudent adherence to legal norms that Ajaero seems eager to trample.

What business does the NLC have with the internal politics of the National Assembly? Founded to safeguard workers’ rights—fair wages, safe workplaces, and economic protections—the congress has no legitimate stake in senatorial suspensions or parliamentary politics. Ajaero’s rhetoric, proclaiming that “an attack on one senator today is an attack on the sovereignty of every Nigerian voter tomorrow,” rings hollow when uttered by a labour leader whose real flock is supposedly the millions of Nigerian workers grappling with inflation, power outages, and exploitative policies. 

This is partisan posturing at its worst, transforming the NLC into a political pawn rather than a bulwark for the working class. Civil society organizations have rightly lambasted Ajaero for abusing his office, calling for his removal and urging him to refocus on labour issues instead of dabbling in “partisan politics”.

This hypocrisy is galling: rules are ironclad when they favour our allies, but conveniently ignored when they don’t. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s saga is riddled with legal entanglements—defamation suits, contempt findings for violating gag orders, and her own court filings against the Senate leadership. Ajaero demands her immediate reinstatement, yet preaches judicial respect in labour disputes. It’s a double standard that erodes trust and exposes the NLC as a selective enforcer of justice, more interested in currying favour with political clientele than upholding principles.

Under Ajaero’s stewardship, the NLC has devolved from a focused advocate into a meddlesome interloper, losing sight of its core mission. Shame on Ajaero and the congress for this distraction, which has drawn widespread condemnation and calls for his ouster. Workers are demanding his resignation over repeated failures: eroding public trust through unfulfilled strike threats, perceived government coziness, and inaction on pressing issues like the persistent national grid collapses that plunge Nigerians into darkness. The NLC has little to show for his tenure—no landmark wage victories, no sweeping reforms—precisely because of this lack of focus. Instead of mobilizing against economic hardships, Ajaero is squandering resources on senatorial sideshows.

History offers stark lessons for wayward leaders like Ajaero. Consider those who maintained apolitical stances and achieved enduring successes: Samuel Gompers, founder of the American Federation of Labor, eschewed partisan ties to champion “pure and simple” unionism, securing the eight-hour workday, child labour bans, and workers’ compensation laws that uplifted millions. Similarly, César Chávez, leader of the United Farm Workers, focused relentlessly on migrant labourers’ rights, boycotting exploitative farms to win better pay and conditions without entangling in electoral politics. A. Philip Randolph, a Black labour icon, organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and pressured for civil rights advancements through union power alone, paving the way for desegregation in employment. 

Contrast this with leaders who lost focus and courted calamity. In the U.S., Frank Keeney and Fred Mooney of the United Mine Workers were forced to resign after political overreach led to union decline and membership losses. Closer to home, former NLC President Adams Oshiomhole transitioned to politics as Edo State governor, but his shift diluted labour’s voice, leaving a legacy marred by controversies and accusations of abandoning workers’ causes. Globally, Lech Wałęsa of Poland’s Solidarity union became president but faced corruption scandals and political isolation, tarnishing his heroic image. These examples illustrate a sure path to irrelevance: when labour leaders poke their noses into unrelated political fray, they invite division, erode authority and become cautionary tales.

In the greater interest of the Nigeria Labour Congress and its teeming millions of members, a call should be made by the congress to Ajaero, to return to his mandate. He should champion workers against power failures, inflation and unfair policies, not senators in court battles. Continued meddling will only cement his tenure and legacy as the architect of the NLC’s downfall, a calamity Nigeria’s labour movement can ill afford. The congress deserves better; it is time for the leadership to refocus or step aside.

* Mr Okeke, an Opinion Editor, writes from Abuja

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