The Labour Party (LP) has expressed gratitude to the organised labour in the country for their support of its candidate, Mr Peter Obi, in the February 25 presidential election.
The party said Obi won the election, even though it was stolen, but assured them that the mandate would be recovered at the tribunal.
LP in its goodwill message by the acting National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh, to Nigerian workers to mark this year’s May Day celebration, expressed confidence that the judiciary would right the wrong and restore the people’s mandate to Obi.
“We have implicit confidence in the court that it will do the right thing. That is why we have chosen to be law-abiding, in spite of the pressure from the people who want to be on the street; we have decided to exercise restraint and follow the part of the law. We sincerely believe the court will give us justice at the end of the day.
“Those who have stolen our mandate will not sleep until we recover our mandate,” the party assured.
It noted that the 2023 general election would have been the turning point in the history of Nigerian workers, but regretted that this was denied them by forces of darkness.
The party, however, said all hope is not lost, and assured that “We will continue the struggle knowing that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. We believe very strongly that very shortly, there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.”
LP decried the poor condition of Nigerian workers, stating that N30,000 minimum wage is a far cry to the high cost of living in the country.
“It can’t take (the) worker home; a bag of rice today is N40,000 and minimum wage is N30,000,” the statement noted.
The party advised the workers to fight for the enthronement of a Labour-controlled government that would champion their welfare and ensures better working conditions.
It noted that the nation’s founding fathers wanted a welfarist state for the country, adding that “Chapter Two of the constitution was emphatic that the security and welfare of the citizens shall be the principal purpose of government.
“It went further to say that the national economy should be managed in a way that gives maximum welfare to the citizens of Nigeria. What it connotes is that the country is planned to be a welfare state.”
LP blamed the nation’s problems on leadership failure and said the rich natural resources could not be harnessed for the welfare of the people due to many years of failed leadership.