The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has raised alarms over the state of the country’s democracy, warning that the electoral process has been hijacked by a privileged few. Votes, the union said, have effectively become commodities traded by the powerful.
President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, made the remarks during the public presentation of the Report on Electoral Trust and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing organized by the International Press Centre (IPC).
He said the political class has betrayed the sovereign will of the people.
“The electoral process—which ought to be the sacred arena for expressing the people’s mandate—has been transformed into a marketplace where votes are auctioned and democracy is subverted by the powerful,” Ajaero said.
He added that the consequences of this subversion are reflected in the country’s governance failures: nearly 150 million multi-dimensionally poor citizens, dilapidated infrastructure, impassable roads, abandoned schools, decayed hospitals, broken utilities, and escalating insecurity.
Call to Action for Journalists
Ajaero challenged the Nigerian media to become the voice of the voiceless rather than amplifiers of the elite.
He urged journalists to “publish the unvarnished truth about the entire election cycle, expose the pre-election rigging, vote-buying, intimidation, and post-election judicial manipulations, and resist being swamped by the tidal wave of propaganda orchestrated by the political elite.”
He praised the IPC’s collaboration with the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), describing the partnership as “a vital act of resistance”.
Preparing for 2027 Elections
Ajaero reminded journalists of his own background as a former journalist and encouraged integrity and courage to rebuild public trust.
“We challenge the media to stand on the side of the people. Be the mirror that reflects our reality, not the curtain that hides it. Be the compass that guides us to genuine democracy, not the tool used to legitimise its counterfeit,” he declared.
He sees the 2027 elections as a test for media resilience, admitting the outlook “looks very bleak” but emphasizing the potential of journalists to rebuild trust.
“We see this as a fight for the future of Nigeria, and the NLC stands ready to partner with all genuine forces to reclaim our democracy for the working people and the masses of our nation,” the statement concluded.
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