Labour Party Tackles NLC, Says Union Lacks Power To Sack Abure, Others

The Labour Party has warned the Nigeria Labour Congress against hijacking the political platform, saying it lacked the power to sack the Julius Abure-National Working Committee.

A statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, Labour Party (LP) described the NLC stakeholders’ meeting as an illegal assembly of a handful of aggrieved former members of the party, and some ‘social media tigers’ who are not card-carrying members of LP.

He said, “The Political Commission of the NLC is a front for Comrade Joe Ajaero, which he has empowered for the purpose of his political ambitions come 2027. The group is unknown to the Labour Party and as such, lacks the powers to convene a meeting of ‘stakeholders’ to deliberate, let alone take any decision which will have a binding effect on a legally constituted party leadership.

“The group has been mandated by Ajaero to ensure that crisis in Labour Party festers ahead of 2027 by presenting itself as a rallying ground for dissident former members of our party, who recently lost the leadership battle in the courts. We are also not unmindful of the political pact the leadership of the NLC has gone into with the current All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government to destabilize the opposition.

“This explains why in quick succession all their plots to hijack the party leadership failed. First, it was by illegal picketing of the party when that failed, it attempted to introduce and inaugurate a non-existing Board of Trustees that also failed. Again, the attempted plot to take over the party using stakeholder meetings comprising former members, social media tigers and non-members will again fall like a pack of cards.

“It is pertinent to add that Nigerians are suffering under the harsh economic conditions of the current government. Workers and the downtrodden are at the receiving end. As we speak, there are unfair workers’ practices perpetuated by employers but the Nigerian Labour Congress has failed to take proactive roles in order to fight for the rights of workers. We want to remind Comrade Joe Ajaero that he has a lot of work to do for the Nigerian workers which he is abdicating to face politics. This is why we previously advised that he should first resign as NLC President if he wants to join politics.”

The party’s response comes following Monday’s resolution taken by the NLC Political Commission at a stakeholders meeting in Abuja.

In the communiqué released after the gathering, the unionists voided the national convention that returned Abure and his NWC members to office.

To fill the vacuum, the stakeholders said the congress would set up a transition committee to oversee the party’s affairs pending when new officers will be elected in three months.

The resolution taken by the NLC also raised concerns about the need to conduct a forensic audit of the LP bank accounts in line with the demand of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, following allegations of corruption, forgery and fraud levelled against the party leadership.