-Onwusanya FCC Jones
Few weeks ago, I was one of those invited by the Nigerian Labour Congress, to what might have been the first or at least most promising Nigerian Workers’ Political Conference.
The conference was well attended as both the political and the working class were well represented. The former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega was the keynote speaker. Femi Falana, Pat Utomi, Adams Oshiomhole and a retinue of activists, politicians, labour leaders and Nigerian workers were there.
The conference aimed to revive the consciousness of Nigerian Workers to their political obligations. One of the speakers reminded those in attendance that the Labour Party, which is the official political wing of all Nigerian workers has the number, the structure and even the resources to cause a big political upset in the coming election if the NLC and the leadership of the Labour Party can harness the potentials, latent within it.
Adams Oshiomhole took the words off my mouth when he recommended that the phrase “Workers” on a sticker launched at the event be changed to “The People”. I had raised my hand to suggest that instead of Labour Party, it should be “The People’s Party”. But, when Oshiomhole spoke, I felt he had captured my thoughts and there wasn’t any need speaking again.
The Labour Party is the only Party, given its foundation and orientation, that is truly the Party of the people. It is the Party that has all classes of Nigerians. Because, among all classes of Nigerians, there are workers. Whether you are engaged in your private business or doing menial jobs to survive, you are certainly a worker and therefore, your natural political Party should be the “People’s Party”, the Labour Party.
If we want to go by the popular assumption of the Nigerian Workers being just those who work in the public sector, then, the Labour Party also has structure across every ward and community in the country, and the Party has the number to win any election in this country. For instance, if we have 10 Million civil servants in the country, then, this number can easily get the votes to make one a President. But, this number cannot vote alone, they have dependents and people they can influence to vote anyway they want, so, on a conservative note, 10,000,000 Nigerian workers can easily guarantee a Presidential aspirant, at least, 30,000,000 votes.
So, on this simple analysis, you could say that Peter Obi’s choice of LP as the vehicle to make him the President of Nigeria in 2023 is the right vehicle.
But, it is not as simple as that.
We must recognize that these Nigerian workers haven’t all been without political Parties before now, and that there is no way the NLC can compel every Nigerian worker to belong to or canvass votes for or to even vote for the LP. Even among the NLC’s top hierarchy, we have individuals who are either in PDP, APC or other political Parties. And at least 80% of Nigerian Workers either do not know or believe that they should have allegiance to the Labour Party.
Therefore, the chances of Peter Obi clinching the presidency through the LP still boils down to the existing structures of LP across the federation, the political operatives involved in his campaign and the ability of his campaign to effectively mobilize Nigerians across all sections and backgrounds to buy into the project of “Moving Nigeria from a Consumption Economy to a Production Economy.”
Well, this is a very tall order.