The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised the Kaduna State government to unconditionally reinstate all workers sacked from the public service.
The party said this in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja on Wednesday.
Ologbondiyan said that the PDP was shocked over alarming reports that the state government had sacked about 70, 000 since 2016.
He described the sack as unacceptable, particularly under the harsh economic situation in Nigeria.
Ologbondiyan said it was even more worrisome that the state government dismissed many of the workers without recourse to disengagement processes and benefits as prescribed by the extant labour laws.
“Our party insists that the right of citizens to peaceful protest is fully guaranteed in the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and charges Gov. el-Rufai to douse the tensed situation by coming down from his high horse, rescind his position and listen to the people.
“The governor must understand that we are in a democratic nation governed by law; where sovereignty belongs to the people, and not a dictatorial regime as being witnessed in the attitude of the state government towards workers,” he said.
Ologbondiyan said the PDP believed that the workers were citizens of Nigeria and that their wellbeing and rights under the law must be respected.
He condemned the thugs attack on the workers during peaceful protest.
“Our party, however, urges the NLC and the workers to remain calm and law abiding in the pursuit of their demands despite the provocation by the Kaduna state government, while efforts are being made to find solution to the matter,” Ologbondiyan added.
