Published on 29 July 2024 at 9:12 AM By Richard Ogunsile
The Labour Party (LP) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of covertly infiltrating opposition political parties to ensure that President Bola Tinubu becomes the consensus candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The LP alleges that the APC is orchestrating internal crises within opposition parties to either take control or entice their members to join the APC. This strategy, according to the LP, is aimed at weakening the opposition’s collective power.
One specific case under scrutiny is the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Transition Committee, which the LP suspects is being used by the APC to hijack the Labour Party. The LP believes similar efforts are underway in other opposition parties.
“The NLC Transition Committee appears to be an APC vehicle for undermining the Labour Party, with similar tactics likely applied elsewhere,” the party stated in a press release on Sunday.
Marcel Ngogbehei, the Labour Party’s Director-General of Mobilisation and Integration, emphasized that the APC has successfully influenced a significant opposition party in the North and another in the East. These parties are influential in their regions, and their alignment with the APC could bolster Tinubu’s chances in 2027.
Ngogbehei criticized the APC’s approach, suggesting that the party is trying to create a one-party system and pressure opposition parties into endorsing Tinubu as a consensus candidate. He compared the APC’s tactics to those of former military ruler Sani Abacha, but expressed confidence that Nigerians are more aware and will resist such schemes.
The Labour Party also accused the APC of exploiting economic hardships to buy votes from impoverished Nigerians, warning that the party’s lack of achievements will likely result in a repeat of the 2023 election strategies involving vote-buying, thuggery, and rigging.
Ngogbehei called on supporters of democratic integrity to back the Labour Party’s National Working Committee under the leadership of Julius Abure and Peter Obi, praising their performance and trustworthiness in the 2023 elections.
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