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The Labour Party (LP) has accused the Nigerian Labour Congress NLC President Joe Ajero of causing crisis in the party.
LP’s spokesperson Obiora Ifoh stated this in Abuja on Saturday inreactions to the latest crisis rocking the party
The NLC and some supporters of the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections had accused the National Chairman Julis Abure of planning a secret national convention and running the party single handedly
Because of these, they have called for his resignation as LP national chairman.
The NLC also accused Abure of extortion by selling the nomination and expression of interest forms for Edo governorship election for N30 million.
The NLC said: “The NLC Political Commission is concerned that some characters in the Labour Party leadership have failed to identify with the expectation of Nigerian workers and people that the Labour Party must be always above board.
“The continued refusal of the National Chairman of the Labour Party to showcase the leadership qualities epitomised in the founding ideology of the Labour Party presents him as unfit for the position he desperately wishes to cling to and we have now discovered is the reason behind all the crises in the Labour Party.
“The sole administrator mentality of Mr. Abure has stood in the way of efforts by the NLC Political Commission to intervene and resolve the leadership crises in the Labour Party. 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.
“Mr. Julius Abure had in April 2023 also tried to unilaterally extend his tenure in office by two years. He was only stopped at the instance of the NLC and Mr. Peter Obi who insisted that the right thing be done,” among others.
But in reaction, the LP through its spokesperson who said members and officials of the NLC are not even card carrying members of the Labour Party, were interfering in the activities of the party’s
Ifoh has dispelled all these allegations as baseless, saying “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.
The party therefore told Ajaero to step down as NLC President and join the LP
The party recalled that in 2014, NLC has been involved in a war of blackmail and attrition against it and its leadership, saying “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.”
The party regretted that” the rascality of 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.”
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