NLC attributes bribery allegation to labour politics

Speaking exclusively with Sunday Trust in Kaduna at the end of an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC last Thursday, Odah revealed that this is part of the negative campaigns ahead of the forth-coming election into elective offices of the organisation. Odah said while such wild allegations of being bought […]

Speaking exclusively with Sunday Trust in Kaduna at the end of an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC last Thursday, Odah revealed that this is part of the negative campaigns ahead of the forth-coming election into elective offices of the organisation.

Odah said while such wild allegations of being bought over are not new in a year preceding elections into elective offices in the NLC, the current allegation is very unusual. “I have spent all my working life over two decades, in congress and I can say this kind of antics sometimes happen in any year before election.

“But in this allegation of bribery against the current leadership, it is very unusual in the sense that the reason those making the allegations gave for the bribery doesn’t make any sense because the current leadership of the NLC has maintained congress’ opposition to deregulation. The question I ask is; did government bribe us to oppose the policy?”

The General Secretary was confident of the democratic structure of the NLC which is now solid.

He said, “Let me state clearly that at the moment, the democratic tradition of debate is very, very firmly established in congress that whoever goes to government or anybody to collect money to manipulate congress will be deceiving himself because decisions are processed through appropriate organs of congress; the National Administrative Council, the Central Working Committee and the National Executive Council. Perhaps what those throwing the allegation are saying is that the entire organs of congress have been bribed.”

Odah said he suspects those behind the allegation are elements who want to throw mud on the integrity of the current leadership to enhance their ambition and chances in the delegates’ conference of the NLC next year when new officers will be elected.

On the allegation by an anti-Yar’adua group that the NLC has become docile by not joining the groups calling for the resignation of President Yar’adua, Odah said the NLC had spoken on several occasions urging all constituted authorities to take the path of constitutionalism to resolve the impasse.

He said the NLC refused to call a general strike or call out workers for street protests because doing so would have further aggravated the situation to a point of anarchy that would have endangered democracy.

According to Odah, the NLC had concrete information that some political elements were behind some of the groups using their consultants as fronts who are manipulating credible Nigerians and organisations for their personal goals.

He said the current leadership of the NLC will never trade the integrity of the organisation for personal gains and glory.

“The NLC is not and will never be a mercenary commando band available to be rented by people with political ambitions or those with personal scores to settle, but hiding under the cover of all manner of names. Congress cannot be manipulated to be a threat to democracy by shutting down the country through general strikes or open demonstrations when we know using constitutional or political means to settle the matter is not beyond us as a nation,” said Odah.