VZCZCXRO7980
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHUJA #0791/01 1161250
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 261250Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9302
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHWR/AMEMBASSY WARSAW 0284
RUEHCD/AMCONSUL CIUDAD JUAREZ 0280
RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 6692
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000791 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR DRL, AF/W 
DOL FOR SUDHA DALEY 
DOE FOR CAROLYN GAY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ELAB NI ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: LABOR CALLS ON GON TO REJECT ELECTION 
RESULTS 
 
REF: ABUJA 747 
 
ABUJA 00000791  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR INTERNET 
DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  Following up on its strong April 17 
statement on the Gubernatorial and state assembly elections 
(reftel), the National Labor Congress (NLC) issued a 
statement on April 24 that "the long-term interests of our 
nation will be better served by rejecting these elections." 
The statement maintains that the April 21 elections were 
"programmed to fail" and commits the NLC to working with 
civil society groups to "fashion a way out of what is now 
clearly a national political crisis."  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) COMMENT.  With the election of a new NLC General 
Secretary, John Odah, in February, many in the labor movement 
 
SIPDIS 
expected a reassertion of the NLC's role in Nigerian 
politics.  It appears that the April 14 and 21 elections have 
provided just the venue for such a reawakening.  The NLC's 
sister organization, the Trade Union Congress (TUC, a 
federation of managerial-level employee unions) has been 
meeting with civil society groups and domestic monitors and 
expects to make a public statement in the near future as 
well.  With the May Day labor holiday approaching, there are 
reports that the NLC and TUC are meeting to discuss a 
national strike.  Reports are also circulating that Nigeria's 
oil unions (PENGASSAN and NUPENG) are being pressured by 
disgruntled opposition politicians to strike over the conduct 
of the polls.  (NOTE: TUC President Peter Esele is also 
President of PENGASSAN.)  END COMMENT. 
 
¶3. (U) Begin text of NLC Press Statement released on April 24. 
 
FINDING SOLUTIONS TO THE EMERGING POLITICAL CRISES 
 
The Nigeria Labour Congress finds it difficult to accept the 
outcome of the presidential elections and the emergence of 
Alhaji Yar' Adua. This is not because we have any personal 
disagreement with him, but the fact that he is a beneficiary 
of a fundamentally flawed electoral process which was 
programmed to fail. 
 
The plan to subvert the will of the people, rig the elections 
and impose a politically disabled leadership on the country 
was so clear that the NLC convened an urgent meeting of its 
Central Working Committee on April 19, 2007 in what has 
turned out to be a vain attempt to steer the country away 
from an avoidable disaster. 
 
The NLC's communique at the end of that meeting declared that 
"Given the despicable conduct of the last elections, Congress 
has lost faith in the capacity of the Prof. Maurice Iwu-led 
INEC to conduct credible elections on April 21, 2007 and the 
proposed fresh state elections". 
 
It is tragic that the country has come to this sorry state at 
the cost of over 200 lives, hundreds of injured persons, 
massive destruction of property and the loss of billions of 
naira. Indeed, this highly compromised electoral process was 
in the words of President Olusegun Obasanjo "a do-or-die" 
affair which had to be won by PDP by any means necessary and 
at whatever cost to the country. 
 
Specifically, the National Assembly and Presidential 
elections, just like the state elections, were characterized 
by late voting and non-appearance of electoral officials in 
many parts of the country, severe shortage of ballot papers, 
declaration of results even in places where elections were 
not held, under-age voting, voter intimidation, snatching and 
stuffing of ballot boxes and a general subversion of the 
people's will. 
 
Additionally, INEC indulged itself in self-inflicted 
logistical problems such as wanting to distribute election 
materials across our vast country only hours before polls 
 
ABUJA 00000791  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
were scheduled to open. Also, millions of ballot papers 
especially for the senatorial elections were unusable because 
logos of some political parties were omitted. 
 
Generally, the INEC under a self-glorifying Prof. Maurice Iwu 
was an unmitigated disaster. The Presidency compounded the 
political crises by employing the armed forces, the police 
and other security agencies in its "do-or-die" plans thereby 
compromising the integrity and moral standing of these 
institutions. Also to cover its tracks, the Presidency has 
embarked on a campaign of calumny against Senate President 
Ken Nnamani as part of the plans to intimidate the National 
Assembly and reduce its capacity to intervene in the crisis. 
 
It is clear that Nigerians have been robbed of a unique and 
historical opportunity to freely choose their leaders. The 
NLC thinks that the Presidency is being half smart and myopic 
by dangling appeal tribunals before the victims of this 
blatant robbery carried out in the presence of domestic and 
international election observers. 
 
We are particularly worried that compromises, that legitimise 
the subversion of the people's will and mandate, weaken and 
compromise the growth of democracy in our country. 
 
The NLC is convinced that the long-term interests of our 
nation will be better served by rejecting these elections. 
Congress, therefore, commits itself to working with 
broad-based interest groups to fashion a way out of what is 
now clearly a national political crisis. 
 
The NLC commends the resilience of Nigerians and urges them 
to be eternally vigilant. 
 
(signed) 
John Odah 
General Secretary 
 
End text of Press Statement. 
CAMPBELL