Why Labour Leaders, Artisans and Farmers Are Backing Tinubu, Hamzat

Workers and trade union members in Lagos State are increasingly taking an active interest in electoral politics, with a newly formed group, Working People United (WoPU), declaring support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Lagos State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Obafemi Hamzat, ahead of the 2027 elections.

The group was formally unveiled on Wednesday at the Blue Roof, Lagos Television, Ikeja, where hundreds of workers from the formal and informal sectors gathered to inaugurate its Lagos chapter.

Representatives of several unions and associations, including the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, National Union of Nigerian Welders, Farmers Association of Nigeria and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, attended the event.

But beyond the political endorsement, the emergence of WoPU raises a broader question: Why are workers and trade unionists, traditionally associated with defending workers’ interests and challenging government policies, now openly mobilising support for Tinubu and Hamzat?

According to the group, the answer lies in the belief that workers should not only protest government policies but also participate directly in deciding who governs and shaping the policies that affect their lives.

The National Coordinator of WoPU and immediate past President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Williams Akporeha, said the organisation was created to support Tinubu and other candidates whose policies align with its vision for Nigeria.

He stressed that the Lagos event was not a campaign rally but the establishment of the group’s organisational structure ahead of the 2027 elections.

“The event is a political support group for Mr President, Bola Tinubu. The major purpose of this group is to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other progressive-minded candidates whose policies we believe will mean well for this country,” Akporeha said.

WoPU, according to its leadership, has already established chapters in Kano, Katsina, Delta and Osun states and is expanding its structure across the country.

In Lagos, the group is being coordinated by the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state, Funmi Sessi, who said workers could no longer afford to remain on the sidelines of politics.

Sessi argued that political participation would give workers greater influence over policies affecting their welfare, income and living conditions.

“We also want to be involved in politics so that our voices can be heard in policies that will bring about development and relief for the working class,” she said.

She described Tinubu as a leader workers had “tested” and “trusted” and said WoPU would mobilise support for his re-election.

For other members of the group, the support is also linked to the economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration.

Oluwole Adeleye, who said WoPU brings together artisans, farmers, traders, private-sector workers and other Nigerians, said the group believed some of the administration’s policies, including the removal of fuel subsidy, were beginning to produce positive results despite the hardship initially associated with the reforms.

The group’s National Coordinator, Operations, Organisation and Programme, Billy Gillis-Harry, said working people had a significant role to play in determining Nigeria’s political direction.

He said WoPU would mobilise workers around what it considers good governance and national development.

The group’s support for Hamzat is also part of its broader political strategy in Lagos, where it intends to mobilise workers and other members of the working population ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

The development marks a notable shift in the political engagement of organised labour members, as workers seek to move beyond industrial action and become active participants in electoral politics.