Edo State Government and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) may be on the collision path over plan to inaugurate a caretaker committee on Thursday by the Union to oversee its affairs pending a fresh election.
The State’s House of Assembly at plenary on Wednesday had accused the National President of NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero of imposing leaders on the state chapter, stating that the step is capable of breaching the peace in the state.
The House called on the leadership of the union to work with Comrade Bernard Eguakhide with whom it said workers in the state were comfortable.
The lawmakers further accused the national leadership of NLC of working with the former chairman, Odion Olaye who they accused of partisanship in the last governorship election.
Olaye was quoted to have publicly declared that the state would burn if the former ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not win that election.
In the resolution, the House called on Ajaero to shelve the proposed leadership change of the NLC executive in the state.
This followed a motion raised by the Majority Leader, Hon. Jonathan Ibhamawu who noted that there was harmonious labour force, devoid of strife under the leadership of Eguakhide.
Other lawmakers who supported the motion, stated that the proposed leadership change should be put on hold in the interest of peace and harmony.
The national leadership of the NLC had last week dissolved the state leadership and announced a caretaker committee which is scheduled to be inaugurated on Thursday.
A statement by the NLC signed by its Acting National Secretary, Benson Upah, said the Edo State government was trying to frustrate its efforts to inaugurate the caretaker committee, lamenting that keys to the NLC Secretariat have not been released to its team.
Upah explained that the Union decided to set up the caretaker committee after its meeting with Governor Monday Okpebholo who insisted on not working with Olaye as chairman of the NLC in the state, saying the decision was in line with labour law and global practices.
“The circumstances leading to the dissolution of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress have been very much in the open. They were preceded by efforts by a joint committee comprising leading lights from the Congress and the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment; Dr. Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi.
“With the inauguration of the caretaker committee scheduled for Thursday, August, 28, 2025 in Benin City to which the government was invited, the keys to the NLC Secretariat in Benin City has not only been seized by government, threats have been issued to members of the caretaker committee and those assigned by Congress to inaugurate them,” Upah said.
