A fresh internal disagreement is brewing within the Nigeria Labour Congress following a directive by its national secretariat asking affiliate unions and their officials to steer clear of the Working People United, a support group campaigning for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

The directive has reportedly created tension among sections of the organised labour movement, particularly after the Lagos State Council Chairman of the NLC, Agnes Sessi, participated in the activities of WoPU on Wednesday despite the position of the national leadership.

Sessi is also the Lagos State Coordinator of WoPU, led nationally by the immediate past President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Williams Akporeha.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that the NLC national secretariat has queried Sessi over her association with the organisation.

In a memo dated August 11, 2026, and signed by the NLC Deputy General Secretary and Head of Information Department and Public Affairs, Benson Upah, the national secretariat accused the Lagos council chairperson of disregarding its directive and failing to consult the congress leadership before associating with WoPU.

The memo said Sessi’s involvement in WoPU’s activities raised questions about her responsibilities as an elected officer of the Lagos State Council.

“Your involvement in the activities of the organisation appears to be in violation of the oath of office you took as Chairperson of the Lagos State Council and raises serious concerns regarding your obligations to the Congress,” the memo stated.

The NLC also accused her of “betraying the oath of office, acting in contravention of the established rules, regulations and directives of the Congress, promoting or supporting a parallel organisation to the Congress and undermining the authority of the national body.”

The action has now opened a wider debate within labour circles over the extent to which the NLC’s national leadership can regulate the political activities of its officials and members, particularly as political alignments ahead of the 2027 elections intensify.

Akporeha, however, rejected the position of the NLC leadership, describing the directive against WoPU as an infringement on the constitutional right of workers and other citizens to freely associate.

In a statement issued on Friday in reaction to the development, Akporeha argued that the NLC had no authority to prevent workers from belonging to a political support organisation of their choice.

He said the directive amounted to a violation of Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of association.

“They have now ignored their constitutional mandate of protecting workers welfare to dabble into politics for the single reason of being against the re-election of Mr President in 2027.

“Working People United sees this directive as an affront on the sensibility of Nigerian workers, Nigerian working people, Nigerian citizens and our constitution and rights,” he said.

According to him, WoPU considers the directive “a fundamental violation of the constitutional rights of Nigerian workers to freedom of association as enshrined in Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”

Akporeha further argued that there was no provision in the NLC constitution requiring a political support group to obtain approval from the national leadership before operating.

He accused NLC President, Joe Ajaero, of attempting to compel affiliates and workers to support the Labour Party and its preferred candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

The group also accused some NLC officials of attempting to dictate the political choices of individual workers.

“It is unfortunate that some persons in NLC are now arrogating powers they do not possess by directing individual, unions, affiliates that their members should only join and support Labour Party,” the statement said.

Akporeha recalled the NLC’s involvement in the 2023 elections, alleging that the labour leadership had similarly attempted to persuade workers to support the Labour Party and its candidate.

“We recollect how this person has tried to coerce all workers to join LP and support a particular candidate in the last election and still doing same in 2027, against the freedom of association of individual.”

He maintained that the NLC was made up of individual unions with their own constitutional structures and decision-making organs.

“It should be noted that, the NLC is a group of individual unions with their rights and decision via their various organs as enshrined and govern by their individual constitution and not by any person in NLC,” he said.

The WoPU coordinator described the attempt to restrict workers from associating with groups outside the NLC’s preferred political direction as unacceptable.

“It is unfortunate, the assertion of not taking permission from some few leaders of NLC, for individuals to exercise their constitutional fundamental human rights to belong to any association of his/her choice is now a treasonable offence.”

“To say the least, this is laughable and appalling that some few individuals are trying to drag our highly respected NLC to this very lowest ebb.

“This constitutes a threat, deliberate and direct affront against the rights of working people to freely associate,” he noted.

The dispute comes against the backdrop of growing political activity among labour groups as preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum.

While the NLC has historically played a major role in workers’ welfare, industrial relations and national policy debates, its political posture has attracted increased attention since the emergence of the Labour Party as a major political force during the 2023 elections.

The latest disagreement involving Sessi and WoPU raises fresh questions about the boundaries between the institutional responsibilities of the NLC and the individual political choices of its officials and members.

At the centre of the dispute is whether the national leadership can restrict the political associations of elected labour officials, and whether such restrictions are consistent with the constitutional freedom of association invoked by WoPU.

The immediate outcome of the NLC query to Sessi is expected to determine whether the dispute remains an internal disciplinary matter or develops into a wider confrontation between the national secretariat and labour officials sympathetic to different political camps ahead of 2027. (Saturday PUNCH)

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