The spokesman of the Labour Party (LP), Obiorah Ifoh, has responded to claims by the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, and chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, S.O.Z. Ejiofor, stating that both individuals are not members of the party.
Ifoh stated that the party’s National Working Committee, under the leadership of Julius Abure, was not aware of any Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, thus dismissing the reported taking over of the party leadership by the purported BoT as laughable.
It was reported that the BoT of the LP claimed to have taken over the affairs of the party, arguing that the new position is in line with the constitution of the LP and that it will reclaim the party from Julius Abure.
The NLC, under the leadership of Ajaero, had also declared the re-election of Abure invalid and described the party’s national convention that produced him as “illegal.”
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In a statement, the Head of Information at the NLC headquarters, Benson Upah, mentioned that necessary steps were being taken to ensure that the “illegality” did not stand.
Contrary to these claims, the LP spokesman stated that since Ejiofor stepped down as the first national chairman of the Labour Party over two decades ago, he has neither attended any meetings nor played any noticeable role as a member of the party.
Ifoh further added that Ejiofor is not even known in his ward and has not paid a single dime as membership dues, which qualifies him as a member.
“Only people who understand the rules of the party and play by them, such as carrying party cards and paying membership dues, can have a say on the matters of the party. Incidentally, Comrades Ajaero and Ejiofor are not members and will not be allowed to interfere with the internal matters of the party,” Ifoh concluded.