Osun APC, NLC Chair Clash Over Partisanship Allegations

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Today accused the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Christopher Arapasopo, of partisanship, alleging that he has become “a megaphone” for Governor Ademola Adeleke.

In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, the party criticised Arapasopo’s appearance on a radio programme in Osogbo, where he reportedly canvassed support for Adeleke’s second-term ambition while attacking the APC.

Olabisi said the development confirmed “public suspicion that the supposed organised labour in Osun has turned itself into an arm of the PDP.”

He added: “Why would it be the preoccupation of a labour leader to abandon labour-related issues that affect the welfare of his members and instead prioritise defending the government of the day? Arapasopo’s compromise of integrity, if he has any, for political considerations, shows he is unfit for the leadership of labour in Osun State.”

The APC spokesperson also faulted the NLC boss for encouraging the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to continue its ongoing seven-month strike, saying such actions amounted to partisanship rather than workers’ advocacy.

Warning the NLC chair to retrace his steps, Olabisi said: “It is dangerous for a fly not to know when to retreat in the journey of a corpse to the grave. No rational person inherits another man’s enemies unnecessarily, yet this is the needless war Arapasopo has chosen to wage against our party.”

NLC Reacts

In his reaction, Arapasopo dismissed the APC’s allegations as baseless and politically motivated. He insisted that his interventions were guided by the interest of workers in the state, not partisan considerations.

“I am not a card-carrying member of any political party. My responsibility is to protect the welfare of Osun workers. If the government is doing something in line with workers’ interests, we will acknowledge it; if it fails, we will resist it. That does not make me anybody’s mouthpiece,” he said.

The NLC chairman also described the APC’s attack as “a distraction,” adding that organised labour under his leadership would not abandon its mandate.

“Rather than casting aspersions on labour, the APC should reflect on why workers in the state have been agitating. Our focus remains on resolving workers’ issues, not trading political insults,” Arapasopo added.