Chairman of NLC in the state, Raymond Ade Adesanmi, who stated this while addressing a press conference to mark the end of the union’s interactive session with governorship candidates ahead of the July 14 election, said all the candidates engaged by the workers had what it takes to lead the state as governor.
Adesanmi said workers should therefore mobilize adequately and be ready to exercise their civic responsibility by voting for candidate of their choice.
He said: “Let me say without mincing words that Ekiti state is blessed with a lots of potentials, there is none of the candidates that interacted with us that cannot govern the state, hence labour ia saying that workers should go out and mobilise their dependants to vote according to their conscience.
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“Let re-emphasise here that Nigeria Labour Congress is apolitical, hence we enjoy all workers to come out and fulfil our civic responsibility by voting for the candidate of their choice.”
While noting that not all candidates honoured the union’s invitation for interactive, comrade Adesanmi thanked those that turned up for the event for seeing workers as critical stakeholder in the development of the state.
The labour Boss said the interactive session with candidates afford them the chance to critique their manifestoes as it addressed the plight of workers and presented the union’s position paper on expectations of workers.
He further reiterated that the labour union would give whoever wins the election three months to clear backlog of salaries, otherwise the workers would mobilise against such government.
“However, it was made clear to the candidates that paradventure the present administration cannot clear all the arears of salaries, pension and gratuity, labour will give the incoming administration just three months to clears te backlog of salaries and pension and six months to reduce the gratuity owed appreciably, otherwise workers will be led against the government,” he said.
He, however warned politicians in the state to desist from harassing and intimidating its members, saying the union would stand against such acts.
He added that security agencies have the right to invite members for questioning, but explained that members should not be ridicule for political gains.
He said, “We are saying without mincing words that the politics gladiators in Ekiti should stop intimidating our members. Information at our disposal says that some of our members would be arrested, we are saying government agencies reserve the right to invite members for interaction but indiscriminate arrest and intimidation is what the Labour in Ekiti State stand against.
“We want to warn all the candidates, be it incumbent or incoming, we are saying without mincing words that we want peace in Ekiti State, this coming election does not worth the blood of anybody and we are saying anybody that is coming to govern us, should not govern us when we are in our graves, we are saying enough is enough, our members should not be harassed, Labour would rise against such occurrence.”
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