May Day: PDP Urges Workers To Defend Democracy, Resist Rights Violations

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) congratulates Nigerian workers on the occasion of the 2018 Workers’ Day Celebration.

The party calls on our workers to defend our democracy and resist the repression of Nigerians by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.

Nigerian workers must also not spare any energy in raising a strong voice against the violation of human rights and manifest insensitivity of the Buhari administration to the unabated mass killing of compatriots in Benue, Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa, Yobe, Borno, Plateau, Zamfara and other parts of our country by marauders and insurgents.

Our labour force must also speak out against harsh anti-people policies and the corruption ravaging the Buhari administration, leading to the collapse of our once robust economy with loss of over 24 million jobs and attendant acute hardship, poverty and destitution in our country today.

In the last three years, Nigerian workers, in all sectors, have been receiving the short end of the stick while the safety nets established by the PDP have all been eroded. Purchasing power of our workers has fallen to its lowest; the middle class has been eroded, while palliative institutions such as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) set up to provide succor for workers have become cash cows for corrupt agents of the Presidency and the APC.

Furthermore, we urge our workers to defend our democracy by standing against incessant constitutional violations, interferences and invasion of the legislature and the judiciary, persecution and harassment of opposition and lack of transparency in the system.

Labour unions made a lot of sacrifices to earn the nation’s independence as well as the return of democratic rule in 1999 and must therefore stand to defend our democracy and the unity of our nation.

We therefore charge our workers to save our nation by taking up their Permanent Voters Card and vote out this incompetent and repressive administration come February 2019, so that next year’s Workers’ Day celebration would be a celebration of freedom in Nigeria.

On our part, as a party committed to the wellbeing of all Nigerians, the PDP restates its commitment to our workers even as we salute their courage, resilience and commitment to nation building.

Signed:

Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary