Press Statement By the NLC We Can’t Be Financially Inducedb

      July 24, 2012

                              

Our attention have been drawn to a  thoughtless statement credited to the Publicity Secretary of the Ondo State Branch of the Peoples Democratic Party alleging that Labour leaders and other prominent Nigerians  have been financially induced  by the Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who is seeking re-election as governor of the state on the platform of Labour Party in the forthcoming governorship election in the state to attend his declaration events.

We are  surprised that such reckless statements can be made by an official of a political party that wields the realm of power not only at the federal  level, but overwhelmingly dominates power at other tiers  of government.  Are we to believe that the PDP has succeeded thus far through financial inducement and not principles  to gain such tremendous power in our political landscape? A party that  does not believe in the acknowledgement of performance and people-oriented programmes?       

For the avoidance of doubt, neither the Nigeria Labour Congress nor its officials will ever consider monetary benefits in the choice of who to support in our collective quest for good governance.

It is an obviously confused,  crass opportunist that will conclude that we would need to be financially induced before we openly endorse and and give support to the candidate of a party we are well known to have associated with from inception.

We supported Dr. Mimiko during his campaigns for his first term in office; we have been supporting him in the course of his ongoing first term, and we have no reasons, given his remarkable  performance so far, not to campaign for him to be re-elected.

Our support for any candidate is based on certain principles, and performance and background is very high on the list. In this particular case, Dr. Mimiko is of a political party nurtured, and sustained by Nigerian workers. It will therefore be surprising that anyone in his right senses will assume we have to be financially induced to endorse  our own candidate.

No political party should assume everyone is for sale. If anyone or organization is, we are certainly not.

We vigorously campaigned for our immediate past president, who has been re-elected Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole because it was our collective decision that he runs for that office in the first instance aside from the fact that he has proven beyond doubt  that he is well focused on running a people-driven government that has translated into massive development of the  State.

We will continue to give the same support to  Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who in less than four years has also transformed Ondo State beyond what other parties could do in eight years of maladministration.

We are not politicians, but we know who can fulfill our collective desire for good governance and accountability, and we are ready to support the candidate without descending to the pedestrian considerations of bereft and largely inept politicians such as the Publicity Secretary of the Ondo State branch of the PDP.

We will never be blackmailed out of this desire.

Nigerians know which party should be held responsible for turning them into commodities that can be purchased at will for political brigandage. Nigerians also know which persons or organisations are purchasable. We are certainly not one.

Abdulwahed Omar

President