The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Labour Party (LP), on Saturday, locked horns over the forthcoming national convention of the party being planned by the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee and scheduled to hold by or before end of March.
While the NLC said it was not informed about the plan to hold the national convention, the Labour Party argued that nothing concerns the Congress in the conduct of its affairs and that the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, should not meddle in what doesn’t concern it.
In a statement jointly signed by the Chairperson and Secretary of NLC Political Commission, Comrade Titus Amba and Comrade Chris Uyot respectively, the Congress described the the planned convention “a misadventure in political mischief, mismanagement and misdemeanour gone too far”.
NLC said it expected the Labour Party being led by Abure after judgement of court of appeal to recognise the statutory membership of organised labour in the NWC of the Labour Party, constitute the Board of Trustees of the party and conduct an all-inclusive national convention in line with the court judgement.
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NLC said, “The Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission has received news of the clandestine scheduling of a supposed National Convention of the Labour Party in March 2024 by the National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure.
“This news came as a shock to us as the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) were never in anyway informed of any plans to hold the Labour Party National Convention.
“We find this development as further aberration and extrapolation of the mismanagement of the Labour Party through a very strange leadership style of sole administration by the National Chairman of the party.
“Mr. Julius Abure contrary to the solidarity spirit and camaraderie ethos of the Labour Party has decided to run the party as a sole administrator, the same allegations that have been hurled at him by the numerous persons he is fighting in the party.
“We affirm that Abure does not have the sole proprietorship of the processes for a national convention. Our position and interventions in the Labour Party have been in three dimensions.
“First is to defend the Labour Party from being maligned and hijacked by fifth columnists especially establishment political parties who have invested huge resources to recruit some members of the national leadership of the Labour Party to undermine the party.
“Second, the NLC Political Commission have continued to intervene in the leadership crisis in the Labour Party to ensure that the Party operates an efficient and effective system of management that prioritises inclusiveness, transparency and accountability not the sole administrator system that has been foisted on the party’s psyche by Mr. Abure and his ilk who are not committed to the ideology of Labour Party.
“Third, our continued intervention in the affairs of the Labour Party is to ensure that the court judgements, agreements and organ decisions of the Labour Party are kept to the letter.
“Instead of sticking to agreements, Mr. Julius Abure has deployed all manner of subterfuge to undermine the efforts of NLC to reposition the Labour Party as the number one political party in Nigeria including shunning invitations to meet with the NLC Political Commission.”
But in a swift reaction, the spokesman of the party, Obiora Ifoh, advised Joe Ajaero to resign as NLC President to contest LP Chairmanship rather than criticising members of NWC, adding that nothing can stop the party’s convention as planned and that constitution was clear on eligible participants.
Ifoh said the rascality of the current president of the NLC, Joe Ajero has destroyed the successes already recorded, adding that it must be noted that the NLC and its political commission have become a bundle of contradiction and paradox.
He said, “Nigerians will recall that in 2014, NLC has been involved in a war of blackmail and attrition against the Labour Party and its leadership.
“It was only recently, following the civil and diplomatic approach adopted by Barrister Julius Abure when he assumed leadership that he was able to get the then President of the NLC, Ayuba Waba and the then President of the Trade Union Congress, Olaleye Quadri to a truce where the NLC, TUC and Labour Party agreed to work together in harmony.
“Unfortunately, the rascality of the current president of the NLC, Joe Ajero has destroyed the successes already recorded. It must be noted that the NLC and its political commission have become a bundle of contradiction and paradox.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress has 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.
“At this point, the leadership of the party wants to ask the NLC, what exactly do they want? If Joe Ajero is interested in the leadership of the party, he is therefore advised to resign as the President of the NLC and join in the contest for the National Chairmanship of the party that is scheduled for the convention on the 27th of March, 2024.
“We must note that undue interference by the Nigeria Labour Congress on the affairs of the party has become worrisome and it has become needful to emphasis here 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.
“The Electoral Act and the Constitution provide that no organisation can own any other organisation. The NLC as an organisation can not claim the ownership of the Labour Party.
“The constitution of the party is clear that it is only those who subscribe to the party and those who are financial members of the party are the owners of the party and therefore can have a say on the affairs of the party. 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.”
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