Politics
Police Lack Powers To Stop Labour Unions From Protesting – Lawyers
Lawyers have said the police lack powers to stop labour union members from staging their planned protest.
The police had on several occasions disrupted protests and in some instances arrested some of the protesters.
Among several examples, armed policemen from the Lagos State Police Command on September 9 arrested several protesters and journalists during a protest against the hike in electricity tariff and fuel price. They also dispersed protesters at Ojuelegba area of the state.
But a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Chino Obiagwu, said on Saturday that the police had no power to stop the labour unions’ planned protests or strike.
He added that the police could not confer on themselves the duty to enforce the court order restraining the labour unions from going ahead with the strike when the procedure for such had been stipulated in law.
He said, “The court order, according to media report, is about NLC going on strike, it has nothing to do with protest. The court did not say citizens should not go out to protest, it said the labour should not go on strike. So, it is a trade dispute. It is not a criminal matter. The police have no business in trade disputes. It is for the Nigerian government to go to court to obtain an order against whoever they believe has disobeyed the court order.”
The senior advocate explained that the only way to enforce court judgment “is to approach the court for the issuance of Form 48 and Form 49 and proceed judicially”.
He added, “The court will then make an order that the person who is in contempt of court be arrested; that is when the police will step in. It is not for the police to on their own say they want to enforce the order. Where has that happened?
“The Sheriff and Civil Processes Act provides for how court orders are enforced. In the case of All Nigerian People’s Party vs Inspector-General of Police, the Court of Appeal has said you don’t need a police permit to protest because the right to freedom of assembly and association is inherent. The ANPP was one of the parties that merged to form the All Progressives Congress coalition; they were the one that went to court.”
Another lawyer and activist, Inibehe Effiong, also argued that the police lacked the power to stop the labour from protesting as no court could have issued any order to stop any Nigerian from protesting.
Effiong said, “I do not think any court in Nigeria can give an injunction against people from protesting. That will be an affront to the constitution. If by Monday the police or the State Security Services say they are acting in furtherance to the order of the court to stop members of the labour movement from coming out to get their members to protest the hike in pump price and electricity tariff, it will be a flagrant attack on the constitution.
“There is no institution in Nigeria that can stop Nigerians from exercising their rights that have been granted them by the constitution.”
The lawyer also contended that the labour unions were justified to go ahead with the strike if they had not been served with the court order stopping the industrial action.
He, however, advised that if the labour leaders had been served with the court order, they should first take steps to have the order vacated.
Effiong, who expressed reservations about the court orders stopping the strike, noted that such orders had not always been effective in stopping similar industrial actions in the past. He advised that “the judiciary should be sensitive to these issues, so that it does not put itself in a position where it would become a subject of public ridicule”.
Also, human rights activist and lawyer, Mr Jiti Ogunye, said inasmuch as court orders were bound to be obeyed, he wondered how the police would force workers who stay away from work to go to work.
Ogunye said, “As a lawyer, I have always questioned the appropriateness of dashing to court to obtain an ex parte order of interim injunction and use it as a tool of mischief or a tool to truncate a noble and just process.
“Our courts are courts of law; their decisions must be respected; their orders must be obeyed. However, our courts cannot behave like an ostrich and court disobedience of their own orders by granting orders like this in an obviously political situation like this.
“Workers are saying they want to go on strike and they are restraining them and those orders are expected to be obeyed. I am not saying as a lawyer that those orders should not be obeyed, but it will be interesting to see how the police will enforce the order. Will they go into the houses of people who do not want to go to work and compel them to go to work?”
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has described the emergence of a former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Bola Oyebamiji, as the party’s candidate in the forthcoming state governorship election as “a right step towards a victorious outing.”
This was contained in a statement signed by Oyintiloye and made available to journalists in Osogbo, Osun State, on Sunday.
The former lawmaker said Oyebamiji’s emergence through a consensus arrangement should be dedicated to the APC leadership and members, especially other aspirants who stepped down.
He added that the peaceful manner of Oyebamiji’s emergence was an indication of the growth and excellence of character for which the APC is known.
Oyintiloye further said, “With Oyebamiji as the party’s candidate and the APC’s impending victory at the polls, the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu would be translated into good governance in Osun without hitch.
“Having successfully completed the primary, attention should now be on the main poll. Oyebamiji, as our candidate, is a right step towards a victory awaiting the APC.
“We must, however, work hard as a united family with a common purpose for the victory to be achieved.”
He recalled that some prophets of doom had predicted an implosion due to the large number of aspirants who initially indicated interest in the APC ticket, adding that the intervention of party leaders made the process seamless.
Oyintiloye commended President Bola Tinubu, the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda; Chief Bisi Akande; the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola; and others for their guidance and commitment towards a successful primary for the Osun APC.
Urging the APC leadership in the state to further strengthen the party to make victory at the polls less stressful, Oyintiloye noted that, if elected Osun governor, Oyebamiji would lead a people-friendly government and implement programmes and policies that would positively impact the lives of residents.
Recall that Oyebamiji emerged as the APC candidate for the August 8, 2026, governorship election at the party’s primary conducted in Osogbo on Saturday by a committee led by the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpoboholo.
The senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has pledged loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) despite being approached several times by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking in a recent interview on the Mic On Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, Akpoti-Uduaghan rejected the idea of defecting amid calls from the ruling party and even her colleagues.
Responding to the APC being an alternative should things not go well with the PDP, the senator responded, “No, I wouldn’t. I was in APC briefly at the start of everything. Why should I go and join APC?
“I don’t have to follow the bandwagon. I don’t have to succumb to any threats or fall for any cajolery.
“I have been approached many times. I have been approached by people from the Presidency, from even my colleagues.
“Even as recently as yesterday, one joked about it: ‘We’re still expecting, we would love to have you.’ And I’m like, I love my space, I love my peace here. I’m okay with my party now, so I don’t think I have to join the APC,” she said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission in Akwa Ibom State has registered 76,534 people in the just-concluded phase one of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, which ended on December 10, 2025.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Obo Effanga disclosed this in Uyo in a statement issued and signed by the Head of Department, Voter Education and Publicity, Bukola Ojeme, on Saturday.
The statement quoted the REC as saying: “During the first phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise between August 25 and December 10, we in INEC Akwa Ibom registered 76,534 in the state.”
Effanga further stated, “From December 15-21, we shall display the preliminary list of registered voters to allow for claims and objections.”
He appealed to registrants to take advantage of the display window to visit the 31 INEC LGA offices to check their personal details for errors, emphasising that the display period also presents an opportunity for claims and objections by citizens to report names that should not be on the register, particularly foreigners and deceased individuals.
The Akwa Ibom REC also announced that the second phase of the exercise will commence on January 5, 2026, saying: “The second phase of the registration will start on January 5, 2026.”
He used the opportunity to wish the people of Akwa Ibom the blessings of Christmas.
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