The Labour Party (LP)  has condemned the decision of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to withhold the discharge certificate of Ushie, Rita Uguamaye, popularly known as Raye, for criticising President Bola Tinubu.

The party, in a statement issued by its Senior Special Assistant (Media) to the acting National Chairman, Ken Asogwa, said there was no truth in the claim by the NYSC that Ushie’s discharge certificate was withheld because she missed her mandatory April 2025 biometric clearance.

According to the statement, this was simply to “Give a dog a bad name in order to hang it.”

The Labour Party said it gathered that the corps member was unjustly denied the opportunity to complete her biometric process for that month by her Local Government Inspector (LGI).

“Independent findings corroborate her story: Raye presented herself at the LGI centre in April with all required documentation, only to be turned away by the official on duty,” the party stated.

It is regrettable that freedom of expression and the right to hold opinions, which are guaranteed under Section 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), is effectively been criminalised by this intolerant APC government.”

The Labour Party argued that what the corps member said against the All Progressives Congress (APC) is already common knowledge, and wondered why she should be victimised.

The party regretted that the APC administration is hypersensitive and incapable of accommodating dissent opinions, “particularly regarding its lacklustre policies that have impoverished millions and plunged over 133 million Nigerians into multidimensional poverty in just two years.”

It therefore urged President Tinubu to demonstrate at least a pretence of tolerance immediately, directing the NYSC to issue Ushie her discharge certificate, having fulfilled all lawful requirements.

“The president must also rein in overzealous state agents determined to turn Nigeria into a repressive state under the guise of protecting the regime,” the party demanded.