The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has faulted a recent statement credited to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, that civil servants are barred from participating in partisan politics.
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In a press release signed by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the NLC described the pronouncement as “erroneous and out of tune with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and Supreme Court rulings.”
The union noted that the matter was exhaustively debated before the 2023 general elections following a circular from the Office of the Head of Service, referenced HCSF/479/11/19, which attempted to restrict civil servants’ political participation.Citing Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, Ajaero stressed that every Nigerian, including civil servants, has the right to freely associate, join political parties, or belong to trade unions.
He further referenced a Supreme Court judgment delivered by late Chief Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais in the case of INEC and AGF vs Musa and Others (2003), which upheld the rights of civil servants to engage in politics.“
The Constitution and judicial precedents make it clear that civil servants can participate in partisan politics.
The only restriction is that they must resign from service at least 30 days before an election if they wish to contest as candidates,” the statement read.
According to the NLC, provisions of Sections 66(1), 107(1)(f), 137(1)(g), 142(2), 182, 187(2), and 222 of the Constitution further support the rights of public servants to engage in political activities until they formally declare candidacy.
The labour body therefore dismissed Walson-Jack’s stance as a personal opinion without constitutional backing, urging Nigerian workers to exercise their political rights fully.“
We call on all civil servants and workers in the private sector to actively engage in partisan politics as part of their civic responsibilities,” Ajaero stated.
