- The LP faction claimed NYSC deliberately targeted Raye over remarks about President Tinubu and the nation’s economic state.
- Usman said independent findings confirm Raye was blocked from completing April biometric clearance despite having required documents.
The Nenadi Usman-led faction of the Labour Party has accused the federal government of vengeful politics over the withheld NYSC discharge certificate of Rita Uguamaye.
Uguamaye, a corps member and content creator known as Raye, came under public attention in March after criticising President Bola Tinubu’s leadership and economic policies.
In a video posted online, she described Tinubu as a “terrible leader,” faulted Lagos’s “poor living conditions,” and dismissed the NYSC scheme as “not beneficial.”
Her remarks drew mixed reactions, prompting her to apologise, claiming her words were misunderstood and were not meant as an insult to Lagos State.
Last week, Raye alleged the NYSC withheld her discharge certificate on the grounds of missing an April clearance, blaming the issue on her local government inspector.
On Sunday, the NYSC confirmed her service year was extended by two months for “failing to attend the April 2025 biometric clearance.”
The corps also said she was among 131 members sanctioned over similar offences during the service year.
Ken Asogwa, media aide to the interim chairperson of the LP faction, described the action as “a deliberate attempt to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it.”
Usman said the decision reflected “another vengeful act emblematic of Tinubu’s APC administration,” urging the president to order the NYSC to release Raye’s discharge certificate.
She said independent findings supported Raye’s claim that her inspector unjustly prevented her from completing the April biometric clearance despite arriving with all required documents.
According to Usman, the LP faction found it “deeply regrettable” that freedom of expression and opinion have been “effectively criminalised” by the current government.
She questioned why Raye’s remarks should attract punishment, arguing they reflected “an open secret” about the government’s “terrible” policy execution.
The faction also accused the APC-led administration of being hypersensitive to criticism while presiding over policies that have worsened living conditions for millions.
Usman said overzealous agents were “determined to turn Nigeria into a repressive state under the guise of protecting the regime.”
She urged Tinubu to “demonstrate at least a pretence of tolerance” and direct the NYSC to issue the withheld certificate without delay.
The LP chair warned that the government’s “dangerous descent into authoritarianism” threatens democracy and the nation’s future.