Osun APC slams NLC Chairman Arapasopo over partisan conduct

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Comrade Christopher Arapasopo, the state chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), of undermining the labour movement by acting as a political campaigner for Governor Ademola Adeleke.

In a statement signed by Mogaji Kola Olabisi, APC Director of Media and Information, the party said Arapasopo’s actions during the interdenominational service with state civil servants amounted to a “show of shame” and demonstrated how not to lead a labour organisation in a democratic setting.

The party noted, it is the right of any labour leader to identify with a political party personally, but argued that Arapasopo’s “shamelessly and openly vowing for the collective votes of the workforce in favour of the governor” crossed the line. 

The statement further alleged that his partisanship has contributed to labour unrest in the state, including the eleven-month work abandonment by factional members of the state NULGE, described as a first of its kind in Nigeria.

The APC accused Arapasopo of prioritising personal gain over workers’ welfare, writing:"No matter the worth of the attraction, it is absolutely wrong for a labour leader under whatever guise, as Arapasopo is flagrantly exhibiting, to have abandoned his statutory primary duties and shamelessly turned himself into a campaign manager of a governor with impunity."

The statement also linked Arapasopo’s actions to grievances among civil servants, teachers, and ad-hoc staff allegedly affected by government policies under Adeleke’s administration, warning that the discontent may influence future political outcomes in the state.

The APC added that Arapasopo’s leadership style represents a “bizarre, incurable burden to the labour movement”, asserting that his partisan conduct disqualifies him from being regarded as a credible labour leader.