The Labour Party and the Nigeria Labour Congress on Wednesday unveiled a new strategy in Abuja aimed at strengthening their grassroots base ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Party leaders and labour representatives met at a one-day Strategic Multi-Level Stakeholders Summit where they agreed to mobilise workers across the country as polling unit agents and expand membership registration to avoid the setbacks experienced in 2023.
The meeting focused on how the party can build a stronger structure at the polling unit level by using labour unions such as the NLC and the Trade Union Congress as a foundation. Leaders said the plan is to register members from the grassroots and create a reliable database that will help the party monitor votes during elections.
The new direction follows the party’s experience in the 2023 presidential election and the court case that came after. Former presidential candidate Peter Obi had challenged the outcome of the poll, which was won by President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.
Obi placed third behind Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, while Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party finished fourth.
Labour Party officials have maintained that weak coordination at the grassroots and failure to retrieve key election documents from polling units affected their case at the tribunal. A major issue was the collection of Form EC8A, the official polling unit result sheet required as evidence in court.
Speaking at the summit, Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, said the party had learnt from past mistakes and must now rely on labour institutions to build a solid base. She said proper membership registration from the polling unit level would make planning easier and help the party defend its votes in future elections.
Usman explained that registered members would serve as polling unit agents to ensure that results are properly documented. She said collecting Form EC8A at every polling unit would be a key priority so that disputes over electronic transmission of results would not weaken the party’s position again.
She urged state chairmen and union leaders to return to their states with clear plans for mass registration. According to her, no political structure can stand without a strong foundation, and the party must use the wide presence of workers across the country to its advantage.
Also at the event, Acting Chairman of the NLC Political Commission, Stephen Okoro, said the collaboration between the party and labour movement reflects the party’s original roots. He pledged that workers would support the national membership registration and validation exercise and mobilise across the country in preparation for 2027.
In a message delivered on his behalf, Abia State Governor Alex Otti said unity within the party would play a major role in its success. He noted that elections are won through steady engagement with voters, strong internal organisation and clear vision.
With two years to the next general election, the summit signaled a fresh effort by the Labour Party and organised labour to turn the network of Nigerian workers into an organised electoral force capable of mobilising, protecting and documenting votes at every polling unit nationwide.