There has been a recent conflict between the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Labour Party (LP) leadership.
The situation had escalated to the point where the NLC accused the LP national chairman, Julius Abure of running the affairs of the LP as a sole administrator. As a result, the NLC passed a vote of no confidence in the leadership of the national chair of the party and consequently called for his resignation.
The friction between these two organizations has captured public attention and raised questions about the legality of NLC to check LP and the underlying causes and implications of their dispute.
While it is true that some readers may already be familiar with the connections between these two organizations, our goal is to present a thorough analysis that sheds light on the intricacies of their relationship, clarifies the context of this ongoing feud, and provides a deeper understanding of the issues at stake.
Did you know NLC founded LP?
Yes, The Labour Party was formed by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).
Speaking about the motive behind the formation of LP in an interview aired on Channels Television on October 3, 2023, NLC President, Joe Ajaero said the party was formed to allow ordinary Nigerians to contest and win elections, adding that even Peter Obi, who was the party’s standard bearer, does not belong to any labour union.
His words, “Within that time when Adams Oshiomole was contesting for governorship, the Labour Party aligned with those that formed the APC, AD, the ACN then to sponsor Adams for him to have a joint ticket and it wasn’t a crime if the Labour Party decides to form an alliance with the other political parties.
“Thereafter, we changed and decided to have our political party and today we’re not in alliance with any political party. And we don’t have an apology for forming a political party that would be beneficial to all the ordinary Nigerians …all the members of the Labour Party are not workers.
“They’re not members of trade unions. People in the National Assembly and even the Presidency are not members of trade unions. The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party is not in any way related to any Labour union.
“Any Nigerian that wants to belong to the Labour Party is free. The reason we formed the Labour Party is that Nigerian workers under the minimum wage cannot buy form and contest elections under any of the political parties be it APC or PDP.
“That’s why we say we must have our own political party where a messenger, clerk can contest elections and win. Even Okada riders are in the National Assembly today through the Labour Party. If anybody is having any doubt about it, the aim of forming the LP has been achieved,” he added.
How LP, NLC war of attrition putting Party’s future in the balance
The war of attrition between the Julius Abure- led National Working Committee of the Labour Party and the Comrade Joe Ajaero -led Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), is threatening the future of the Labour Party as an entity investigation by Vanguard has shown.
It was gathered that at the heart of the conflict is the battle for the control of the party structure.
Major stakeholders of the party have accused Abure of running the affairs of the party like a personal estate, a charge Abure consistently denied.
Trouble started for Abure soon after the 2023 general elections when some party members under the leadership of Alhaji Lamidi Apapa and Abayomi Arabambi accused him of mismanaging party’s funds.
A series of court cases followed and Abure’s leadership was upheld by the Court of Appeal.
However, not long afterwards, the party’s erstwhile National Treasurer, Ms. Oluchi Oparah, went public with allegations that Abure be made to account for over N3.5bn she claimed the party received from the sale of forms and donations for during the 2023 elections.
For her efforts, she was suspended for six months for bringing the reputation of the party to disrepute.
The Abure-led NWC of the LP is currently at loggerheads with not only the NLC but also the House of Representatives caucus of the party over a plan by Abure to conduct a national convention without the impute of stakeholders.
Comrade Joe Ajaero and the leadership of the NLC have passed a vote of no confidence on Abure who they accused of running the party like a sole administrator.
They also demanded for his immediate resignation to allow an interim administration to run the party’s affairs until a proper convention is held.
Abure has been fighting back using the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh. Ifoh has in a number of statements cast aspersions on Ajaero and all those who have queried Abure’s leadership style.
Planned national convention
At the center of the current NLC-LP crisis is the embattled national chairman of the party, Comrade Julius Abure.
The Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) was accused of planning to hold the national convention of the party in Umuahia, Abia State capital on March 27 a move which has been rejected by critical stakeholders such as the NLC and the House of Reps Caucus of the party.
The planned convention was contained in a notice to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on March 13.
In response, the Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission – the political wing of the NLC, in an open letter dated March 15, described the planned convention as illegal, noting that it would not allow any form of illegality in the affairs of the party to stand.
It also demanded the immediate resignation of Abure, and called for a caretaker transition committee to organise a ‘legitimate and all-inclusive’ national convention of the party.
Alleged extortion & embezzlement
The Congress knocked Abure for his alleged “extortionist tendencies” by selling the nomination and expression of interest forms for Edo governorship election for N30 million.
Unending financial scandals
In February, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi called for a thorough investigation into the alleged financial impropriety leveled against Abure.
His call was in response to allegations earlier made by Oparah.
She also alleged that the Abure-led NWC was working hand-in-hand with the Edo State Government and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the September 2024 Governorship polls.
Similarly, in a letter signed by Comrades TItus Amba and Chris Uyot, the chairman and secretary of NLC Political Commission, the party expressed concerns over recurrent scandals and pending cases of fraud.
“There are also pending cases of fraud, forgery and misrepresentation against the National Chairman of the Labour Party in various courts and police stations in Nigeria.
“This is a sour misadventure in political mischief, mismanagement and misdemeanour. The conduct of Mr. Abure and his maladministration of the Labour Party is totally unacceptable to us.
“At the top of the crisis of mismanagement in the Labour Party is the extortionist tendencies by Mr. Abure exemplified by the monetization of the nomination process including the outrageous N30 million charged aspirants in the recent Edo State Governorship primary,” it said.
Abure’s administration of LP
The NLC accused Abure of running the LP as a “sole administrator.”
Speaking when workers occupied the Labour Party headquarters in Abuja, the Deputy President of NLC Political Commission, Dr Theophilus Ndubuaku, said the decision to picket the Party headquarters was taken to express workers’ grievances against Abure’s style of leadership.
He said,”Now, it is in the hands of this usurper, he is looking for N30 million, N40 million, and so on to buy forms, excluding the people who founded the party. Enough is enough, Abure must go,” said the acting General Secretary of NLC, Comrade Bello Ismail.”
In a letter signed by Comrades TItus Amba and Chris Uyot, the chairman and secretary of NLC Political Commission, respectively, the NLC also knocked Abure for not being committed to the ideology of the Labour Party.
Meanwhile, the NLC and Labour Party crisis is brewing at a time when the party is expected to be busy with perfecting strategies ahead of the September 21, 2024 election in Edo State.
The candidate of the Labour Party in the Edo governorship election is a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Olumide Akpata.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, only six of the 18 registered political parties have filed their nominations. No matter how the current fued is settled, the Labour Party is unlikely to remain the same.
Vanguardngr.com