LABOUR PARTY (LP)
Motto: EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Barrister Julius Abure Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim
National Chairman National Secretary
PRESS STATEMENT
Resign as NLC President to Contest LP Chairmanship, Labour Party advises Joe
Ajero
*Party Convention holds as planned, constitution clear on eligible participants
The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party has been drawn to a Press Release
titled 'A misadventure in political mischief, mismanagement and misdemeanor gone too
far’ written by the NLC's Political Commission as an agent of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
The NLC letter did not come to us as a surprise or a shock, it was long expected before
now, having known that the NLC was going to engage itself on this misadventure.
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 NECin session in Asaba, which is inline with the party
constitution.
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
No 2 IBM Haruna Street Utako Abuja. Tel: 07033327679, 08034080673The leadership of the party in its wisdom has decided to yield to their agitation for 2
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. Itis 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.
Atthis 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 asan 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 ofa
bank, But today, that same Alex Ottis 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.It will shock Nigerians to know that members and officials of the NLC are not even card
carrying members of the Labour Party. All over the country, NLC members have been
found to be supporting either the APC or the PDP.
Itis again of importance to make certain clarification as to the so called judgements that
were referred to by the NLC, we must indicate clearly that the Labour Party is not in default
of any court judgment whatsoever. The agreement reached by the NLC to call for a
convention is what we are following, we have fully implemented that agreement and the
convention is in line with the agreement. We are therefore not in any default of court
judgment as erroneously implied by the NLC.
We therefore want to advise the NLC and its commission that it should focus only on its
statutory responsibilities of defending the workers and the workers' right. Today minimum
wage is N30.000 while a bag of rice is N80.000. We hear about NLC talk about ethos and
ethics of the Labour movement and the Labour Party, this is also an NLC that cannot call
or sustain a strike for one or two days without calling it off. This is an NLC which cannot
think of calling a protest and sustaining it in order to get the attention of the government
for the interest of the workers.
The present NLC should take a time to listen to the opinion Nigerians have formed about
them. Can the NLC of today in any way be compared to NLC of the then Hassan Sumounu,
‘Adams Oshiohmole and a few others in the past?
We must at this point appreciate the Trade Union Congress, TUC and it's Political
‘Commission under the leadership of Comrade Festus Osifo who stoutly refused to sign the
Press Release with the NLC on the ground that it was baseless, frivolous, unrealistic and
an evidence of power thirst, which to them was not necessary at this time considering the
successes already achieved at the Labour Party.
We equally want to advise Joe Ajero to emulate leadership of Ayuba Waba, Olaleye Quad
and Osifo in working closely with the party.
The ill-intended Press Release by the Political Commission also made a reference to
spurious allegations made by the suspended National treasurer, Oluchi Opara and it
attempted to give it some credence. This clearly exposes the mischief by the NLC to
hoodwink the people. We have stated clearly that the total money received by the party
was N1.3billion and no other report has contradicted it. So for the NLC to be quoting that
spurious allegations goes to show that they are part of the challenges Labour Party has
been facingWe are shocked that NLC which was a victim of a recent harassment, threat to life and
brutalization of its president would express shock over similar treatment meted to our
chairman, Barrister Julius Abure who was brutalized for political reasons and nothing
more. The NLC statement has it that Abure was arrested for fraud even when the police
stated that the arrest was for attempted murder, which of course was a fabricated
falsehood. We are shocked that the NLC which its President suffered the same fate, with
bloodied face in Imo state will in one breath speak of Abure in this manner. This goes to
portray the desperate characters in the current NLC.
We must also state clearly that our leader, Peter Obi made reference to the audit of the
campaign account and not forensic audit for the Labour Party, In any case, we have stated
clearly that the Labour Party is open to forensic audit of its accounts. We are even calling
on the NLC to send its own external auditors to check our financial books. We are also
calling on Peter Obi to expedite action on the auditing of our accounts. And for the NLC to
be using this as a cheap blackmail is to show their high level of desperation and mischief.
The conclusion of the NLC's Press Release is laughable, in fact, it didn't come to us as a
surprise. It will interest Nigerians to know that the NLC has through some proxies gone to
court severally to fight the leadership of the party, the most recent being the case filed by
one Ado. Passing a Vote of no Confidence in the leadership of the party is laughable. It
clearly shows that they neither have nor read the constitution of the party.
Article 17:1 of the party constitution is very clear on how the national chairman of the
party can be removed from office. We must state clearly that it is only the National
Convention that can pass a Vote of No Confidence in the leadership of the party and not
the NLC who are not even members of the party. Ironically, members of the so called
Political Commission who are being used by the NLC are not card carrying members of the
Labour Party. | wonder how people who are staying outside a house are hoping to
interfere in what is happening inside. They simply do not have both the power and the
capacity to do so.
Members of the Labour Party appreciate the leadership of Barrister Julius Abure who has
taken the party from obscurity to the enviable position it found itself now. It is under his,
leadership that the party has found limelight. Today in Labour Party, we have a governor,
senators, house of representatives and assembly members amongst others. Today, Labour
Party is the major opposition political party in Nigeria.
We therefore urge the NLC to go and learn from other developing democracies across the
world, how the Labour movements have given support to Labour Parties across the world
in Australia, Brazil amongst others who have captured power in their countries. Suchintellectual exploration has become necessary so we can collectively work towards the
goods of Nigerians. There is need for us to come together and collectively fight the ruling
class that has held the nation down for so long and has impoverished the nation. It makes
no sense for us to be fighting ourselves.
In conclusion, we note that the Labour Party will be going ahead with our party programs,
‘our convention will hold. We have consulted with our stakeholders and the consultation
is on going and we will continue to consult until the March 27, when the new leadership
of the party will emerge. We have advised the NLC before now that party politics is played
at the Ward level and not at the National level. If NLC is interested in taking the leadership
of the party, they should go and engage in the mass mobilisation of its members to join
the party at the grassroot.
SIGN
ga
te iora Ifoh
National Publicity Secretary
Labour Party
16-03-2024