By Olusegun Olanrewaju and Cross Udo
Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday engaged in a dirty war of shame after the Labour centre demanded the sack of the national chairman of the third-rated party in the country.
The development started another round of war in the camp of the second leading opposition party in the country whose ranks have been rifled by crises of late over allegations of mismanagement, among others.
The union also demanded the sack of the national chairman of the LP, Julius Abure, who was accused of planning to hold a secret convention without the input of the major stakeholders in the party.
As the protest wore on, workers were refused entry into the party’s secretariat by men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
NLC also said that it would insist that workers take over their party expected to act as a viable opposition to guard against the country plunging into dictatorship.
*Abure corrupt and inefficient, must go – Labour leadership
Speaking when workers occupied the LP headquarters in Abuja, the Deputy President of the NLC Political Commission, Dr Theophilus Ndubuaku, explained that the picketing was to express workers’ grievances towards Abure’s administration in the party.
He said, “Nigeria is not the only country that has a Labour Party backed by organised labour. There are so many others.
“Why would our own be different, the essence of registering a Labour Party in this country is not only to become a president or hold an office but to create a viable opposition, and in any country where there is no viable opposition, then there would be dictatorship. The reason we set up this party is to make us have good governance in this country.”
While faulting the alleged unilateral convocation of the national convention without consulting the relevant stakeholders, the NLC said, “There have been court judgements, declaring labour party as being owned by the NLC and there has been intervention by INEC telling Abure to appoint BOT members and organize the all-inclusive convention.
“But what we now saw is a convention that we do not know who and who are going to be at that convention and the elected officers in the National Assembly thought that he insulted them.
“You will not believe that a day before Abure issued the notice of the convention, he was with the NLC president and the political commission in the NLC office without telling them.
“All we are saying is that we do not want Abure, he should resign and go. He cannot be the sole administrator of Labour Party.”
Also speaking, the acting General Secretary of NLC, Comrade Bello Ismail said that the commission had been engaging Abure, thinking that he was following due process,
According to him, “We were also thinking that he was going to organise a convention in line with the understanding with Labour to have an all-inclusive convention, but Abure knowing that he can never survive an all-inclusive convention wanted to do a convention in the night.
“Those in the NLC Political Commission have made a lot of efforts to reach this state of taking over our party by ourselves. We would insist that all democratic norms are fulfilled. We will insist that workers take back their party. We want a convention where we are all the stakeholders and we are very active and all will participate.
“We do not want a convention where one man will hand-pick the officers of the party. We want a convention where in the 37 states of the federation, all stakeholders including workers, youths, young people, and informal workers can have a say in the party.
“We are not money people, but we have a voice and we want a party where without money we can participate, and that is what Labour Party offers. Now it is in the hands of this usurper, he is looking for N30m, N40m, and so on to buy forms excluding the people who founded the party. Enough is enough Abure must go.”
On his part, Chris Uyot, Secretary of the NLC Political Commission, said the national chairman of the party has decided to go and hold a convention without consulting, without discussion with the stakeholders of the party.
Uyot said, “He did not discuss with the NLC or with Labour or even with the House of Representatives who are stakeholders in the Labour Party, he did not discuss with anybody, he did not discuss with the ‘Obidents’, all the people that belong to this party or even have a stake in this party.
“So he wants to go and have a convention where he will pick people as delegates, no it is not done. A convention starts from the local government areas before it goes to the states and then the national.
“We are not going to have a dictator in our party, it is not going to be possible. Nigerian workers are democratic, and they support democracy.
“Nigerian workers owned this party and would ensure they take hold of their party and will drive out the looters.”
*It’s a show of rascality by Ajaero, says LP
Meanwhile, the LP, in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, described NLC’s action as a criminal act, a misplacement of priority, and an action done in bad faith.
“The leadership of the Labour Party has described the unlawful break and entry into its national headquarters by the militant arm of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and a colossal destruction of properties as a criminal act, a misplacement of priority, and an action done in bad faith,” the statement said.
It also claimed that the “greed and inordinate ambition” of Ajaero, have pushed him into losing “every sense of discretion and decency in his recent conduct, be it in his affairs with the workers, or even the government’’.
The LP explained that Ajaero’s continuous claim that NLC owned the LP ‘’is not in any way supported by either the Electoral Act or the Constitution’’.
“For his information, a political party is owned by those who are card-carrying or financial members of the party,” Ifoh said, adding that that party was aware that more than 90 per cent of the NLC members have not met this condition and, therefore, cannot claim to be the owners of the party.”
Additionally, the LP noted that the country’s constitution also provides that no organisation can own any other organisation, ‘’which underscores why the NLC as an organisation can therefore not claim the ownership of the party’’.
The LP added the claim that the NLC’s action represents an act of “personal vendetta” against Abure, whom they said, was called several unprintable names, including labelling him a thief.
“We are certainly going to take legal action on matters of libel,” the LP said.
The party said: “Today, Nigeria is witnessing the worst economic strangulation ever in the history of Nigeria.
‘’Issues such as poor workers’ wages, high inflation, and insecurity, with Nigeria turning to a Hobbesian state, yet after a year of his assumption of office, Ajaero has chosen to ignore all these national challenges.
“It would interest you to know that Ajaero’s NLC is yet to successfully picket any Federal Government establishment.
‘’His attempt to extend his rascality to Imo State was met with a higher and brutal force. Unfortunately for us in the Labour Party, we do not command any force, unlike the NLC that is now encouraging militancy within its ranks,” the statement said.
The LP explained that the NLC, by its constitution, cannot call for picketing of any establishment without a directive of its NEC, but that what they saw was a political committee acting out an illegal script by Ajaero.
It added, “The committee has no legal right to call an action like picketing or breaking into a political party where most of them are not even members.”
According to the statement, the LP alleged that the present NLC leadership is politicised and that it has left its primary responsibilities of defending Nigerian workers by delving deeply into partisan politics.
“This is a bad omen for the working community,” the party said, adding “We have earlier advised Ajaero to emulate the leadership of Ayuba Waba, Olaleye Quadri and Festus Osifo who had, or are currently passing through a similar route, and still maintain a working relationship with the party.”
The LP said it is reviewing the “criminal actions” and disruption of activities in its national headquarters with its legal department for further actions.
*Apapa faction condemns NLC too
Even though in different groups, the Julius Abure and Lamidi Apapa camps have disagreed over the party leadership
They seem to be on the same page on the issue of NLC picketing the party headquarters.
This much was gleaned yesterday while reacting to the action of the NLC on Channels Television’s Politics Today, during which the Legal Adviser of the party, Kayode Edun, said the union members ‘went beyond their mandate’.
“These individuals who are calling themselves NLC Political Commission, are going beyond their mandate and, unfortunately, they have allowed greed and inordinate ambition to enable them to forget the mandate of the NLC.
“Joe Ajaero’s NLC is degrading the name of NLC. Joe Ajaero is misled by inordinate ambition and he is wrong,” Edun said.
He said that Joe Ajaero is trying to impose himself on the LP and take over the party, insisting that membership of the party is on an individual basis as the NLC as a group cannot be a member of the party.
On his part, the National Publicity Secretary from the Apapa camp, Abayomi Arambi, condemned what he described as an attempt by the NLC to forcefully take over the LP.
He accused the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, of having a presidential ambition and trying to take advantage of the leadership crisis in the party.
“We are not even interested in the national convention; our group is the forceful takeover of our party where the NLC intends to announce the following as acting national chairman and secretary. They intend to announce one Ladi Ilia as acting national chairman and a lawyer and Nollywood actor, Kennet Okonkwo as acting national secretary.
“I also want to put it to Comrade Joe Ajaero that over three times now he has discussed the issue of his presidential ambition come 2027 and he knows it is practically impossible because we presently have a leadership issue in the Labour Party which is an internal affair of the party,” Arambambi said.
He also berated Ajaero for earlier passing a vote of confidence on Abure when he was first taken to court by the Apapa camp and coming now to pass a vote of no confidence on the same person.
Arambambi said the leadership issue in the LP is an issue between his camp and the Abure group and does not want the involvement of the NLC.
In a statement it earlier released, the Labour Party under Abure’s leadership denied any financial impropriety, insisting that the party is open to forensic audit of its accounts.
