Edo State’s labour movement split wide open on Wednesday as a faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress declared Thursday’s government-backed May Day rally a “hoax” and told workers to boycott it.
In a blistering statement issued April 30, 2026, the Caretaker Committee of the Edo State NLC called the planned event at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium a “counterfeit May Day” and urged “genuine workers” to stay home in silent protest.
The statement, signed by Committee Chairman Prof. Monday Lewis Igbafen, marks a total breakdown between the caretaker leadership and what it calls “reactionaries, impostors, and labour aristocrats” now controlling the state’s union structure.
●“Violent intrusion,” not support
Igbafen said the committee does not reject state support for May Day but condemned what he called a “violent intrusion” and “undue meddling” by the Edo State Government.
He cited an April 22, 2026, government circular that allegedly made attendance compulsory for all civil and public servants. The circular, he said, was enforced with state-funded buses and “veiled threats of sanctions” for absentees.
“Let it be said plainly: May Day is not for the oppressor. It is not for the compradors, the bourgeoisie, or the employers of labour to parade their dominance,” the statement read. “We do not reject government support for a successful May Day. But we must condemn, in the strongest terms, the open takeover of its organization.”
*Crisis of legitimacy*
The Caretaker Committee said Thursday’s rally is not a celebration of workers’ rights but a “display of political dominance” meant to mask the “strangulation of independent trade unionism.”
Igbafen accused organisers of the state-backed event of being “usurpers and hijackers” who have pushed the Edo NLC into a “state of coma” and resisted peaceful, legal moves to resolve the leadership crisis.
He insisted that neither the “true, legitimate leadership” of Edo NLC nor the national Congress endorsed the gathering.
● Invoking labour giants
The committee invoked the memory of Edo’s labour icons, arguing their legacies clash with the current climate.
The statement named Pa Michael Imoudu, “legendary father of the Nigerian labour movement”; Festus Iyayi, “radical intellectual and anti-capitalist titan”; Peter Ozo-Eson, “seasoned economist and labour leader”; Adams Oshiomhole, “former NLC president who defined a generation of militant unionism”; and Comrade Elijah Okougbo, “unblemished labour giant in height and in intellect.”
Supreme Court to rule today on ADC leadership tussle after party warned of 2027 election risk
“Hear us, comrades: the legacy of these giants stands in stark opposition to the labour climate we witness in Edo State today,” the committee said. “Pa Imoudu would not sanction it. Festus Iyayi would not recognize it. Peter Ozo-Eson would not sit in silence… their memory rebukes it.”
● Call to boycott
With the state preparing for a May Day the committee says “must not hold,” Igbafen urged Edo workers to shun the stadium rally and instead observe a day of silent mourning for the state of labour.
“Until this task is done, the glorious solidarity song of May Day cannot be sung in truth,” the statement concluded.
The committee vowed to reclaim the NLC from “political warlords” and restore it to its “rightful custodians.”
It closed with a rallying cry: “Aluta continua! Victoria ascerta!”
Stay ahead with the latest updates! Join The ConclaveNG on WhatsApp and Telegram for real-time news alerts, breaking stories, and exclusive content delivered straight to your phone. Don’t miss a headline — subscribe now!
