Osun Election: Osun labour leaders defend Adeleke over N10,000 palliative

Organized labor unions in Nigeria's Osun State have publicly defended Governor Ademola Adeleke against claims that a N10,000 payment to state workers was a form of vote-buying. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and Joint Negotiation Council (JNC) asserted that the payment was a palliative requested by workers to alleviate economic hardship.

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The organised labour wrote a letter to His Excellency, Senator Ademola Adeleke, in April, where we requested and demanded palliatives for the workers and pensioners in the state.

NLC Chairman Dr. Christopher Arapasopo explained that labor unions formally requested financial assistance from the governor in April. Initially seeking N20,000 for each worker and pensioner, they later agreed to N10,000 after discussions about the state's financial situation. Arapasopo emphasized that the opposition's tagging of the payment as vote-buying is inaccurate, stating, "It is not vote-buying. We demanded for it and we are telling the world and the EFCC that it is not vote-buying, but palliative."

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We requested N20,000 for each worker and we later had a meeting in July and agreed that, based on the financial constraints in the state, the governor promised to pay N10,000 each for workers and pensioners.

Adediran Olalekan, Chairman of the JNC, also urged workers and pensioners to remain calm and participate in the upcoming election without fear. He encouraged them to vote for their preferred candidates using their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). Additionally, Olalekan appealed to President Bola Tinubu to instruct security agencies to ensure a fair electoral process for all political parties, free from bias and intimidation.

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It is not vote-buying. We demanded for it and we are telling the world and the EFCC that it is not vote-buying, but palliative.