Both the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Tinubu and governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu have received support from the organised labour unions in Lagos State.
It announced the support on Thursday at a large gathering in Ikeja, citing the successes and labor-friendly policies of the Lagos governor as justification.
Leaders and members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), National Union of Teachers (NUT), Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers’ Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), and an association of herbal medicine dealers were at the event. The leaders said the model Tinubu instituted took Lagos out as the best labour-friendly State.
“Before we embarked on this rally, we all agreed at our respective congresses to support Sanwo-Olu to continue as our Governor. We made the decision before today but we only came out to display our solidarity with him publicly. What we have done right in our house, we are showing to the world. This is the first time the Organised Labour in Lagos is taking an open position to endorse a candidate of a political party,” Sanwo-Olu’s media aide Gboyega Akosile quoted the Lagos NLC chairman Comrade Funmilayo Sessi as saying.
“We are doing this because Sanwo-Olu has introduced unprecedented reforms to improve the welfare and the well-being of workers. We are coming out with our full chest to support the Governor. We are deciding our fate by being part of the electorate that will return the most labour-friendly Governor. This is the decision all workers agreed upon and there is no going back.”
“Democracy is about inclusiveness and offering listening ears to the plight of the people,” stated TUC Chairman Gbenga Ekundayo. Sanwo-Olu passed our test, and we discovered that he had a listening ear.
“He also has a large heart to accommodate. We have decided and agreed. We are coming out en mass in the next election to vote for APC candidates in the presidential election and state election,” Akosile’s Thursday statement further quoted him as saying.
If re-elected as the Governor of Lagos, Governor Sanwo-Olu swore to keep his word.
“Going by this Organised Labour endorsement, I have no doubt we are coming back better and stronger. We will embark on governance much more than we have done and provide the best workplace for you to flourish. This endorsement is a confirmation that workers believe in our leadership and we will not take you for granted.
“It is only when we are committed to doing more for you that we believe we would have made the best impact on your lives and those of your children. Our Government is for the people; we will not disappoint you. On behalf of my political party, I accept the endorsement as your choice and I promise not to let you down. The endorsement must now be supported by voting for APC candidates in the presidential election and state elections.”