The leadership of the Labour Party (LP) has advised the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to resign his position and join the contest for the National Chairmanship of the party if he is so interested.
The Party gave the advice in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh on Saturday, March 16, 2024.
This was in response to a letter titled ‘A misadventure in political mischief, mismanagement and misdemeanor gone too far’ written on Friday by the NLC Political Commission.
The letter accused the leadership of the Party of planning a secret national convention in Umuahia, Abia State capital on March 27 that has no inputs of the stakeholders to reelect Abure as the party chairman.
Following the development, the Political Commission asked Abure to resign his position as the chairman of the Party and constitute a caretaker transition committee to organise a transparent national convention.
Recall, Abure was accused of being involved in anti-party activities and mismanagement of N3.5bn raised from the sale of nomination forms and fundraising activities in the build-up to the 2023 general elections.
Reacting to the letter, the Party said, the rascality of the current president of the NLC, Joe Ajero has destroyed the successes already recorded from the harmonious relationship between it and the NLC.
The Party said, the convention will hold as planned on March 27, noting that it has consulted with stakeholders in that respect.
“Labour Party will be going ahead with our party programs, our convention will hold. We have consulted with our stakeholders and the consultation is on going and we will continue to consult until the March 27, when the new leadership of the party will emerge”, the Party said.
It explained that the NLC had written several letters to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and to the party on the need to conduct a national convention.
“In fact, the NLC has queried even the rationale behind the one year extension which was graciously granted by the NEC in session in Asaba, which is in line with the party constitution.
“The leadership of the party in its wisdom has decided to yield to their agitation for a convocation of a national convention.
“Article 14:4b of our party constitution mandates the National Secretary in consultation with the National Chairman to ‘issue notices of meetings of National Convention, NEC, NWC amongst others.
“It is in the exercise of this power that the national chairman and national Secretary have called for the convention following the decision of the national executive council of the party.
“It is therefore ironical for the same NLC which has been agitating for a convention to now be demanding the rationale for the call for a convention’, it said.
The LP noted that the undue interference by the NLC on the affairs of the party has become worrisome and it has become needful to emphasis the distinction that the Labour Party has a life of its own different from that of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
“In fact, the 1999 Constitution states clearly that once a political party is registered, it has a life of its own whereby it can run it’s own affairs without any interference”, it said.
The Party emphasised that “the interference of the present leadership of the NLC on the party is really choking and we can hardly breath.
“It is this NLC leadership which pressured on the Party not to give His Excellency, Alex Otti the governorship ticket for the 2023 general election on the ground that he was allegedly not workers’ friendly when he was a Chief Executive of a bank. But today, that same Alex Otti is doing Labour Party proud with the work he is doing in Abia state.
“Again, the same NLC attempted to prevail on the leadership of the party to upload a different candidate other than Senator Athan Achonu after he won the Imo state party primaries under the Labour Party.
“It will shock Nigerians to know that members and officials of the NLC are not even card carrying members of the Labour Party. All over the country, NLC members have been found to be supporting either the APC or the PDP”, it said.
