Follow Us on Google
From Sola Ojo, Abuja
The Labour Party (LP) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have commenced early preparations for the 2027 general elections, unveiling a plan to build a formidable grassroots structure rooted in the country’s labour movement.
At a one-day Strategic Multi-Level Stakeholders’ Summit held in Abuja on Wednesday, party leaders and labour representatives agreed to drive a nationwide membership registration and validation exercise using union networks as the backbone of the party’s operations at polling unit level.
The renewed mobilisation followed the party’s experience in the 2023 presidential election and the legal challenge mounted by its candidate, Peter Obi.
Obi finished third in the poll won by President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, behind Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, while Rabiu Kwankwaso placed fourth.
A key issue raised after the election was the party’s difficulty in retrieving Form EC8A, the official polling unit result sheet needed to substantiate its claims in court.
Party leaders admitted that the absence of a coordinated grassroots network weakened their post-election litigation.
Addressing participants at the summit, Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, said the party must now consolidate its foundation by properly identifying and registering members at the grassroots.
Other News
She emphasised that the NLC, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other affiliated unions represent an existing nationwide structure that the party failed to fully utilise in 2023.
According to her, the goal is to build a verifiable membership database and deploy registered members as polling unit agents during elections.
This, she said, would ensure systematic documentation and collection of Form EC8A results, eliminating disputes over electronic transmission glitches.
Usman maintained that every polling unit in Nigeria has either serving or retired workers who can serve as reliable party representatives if properly mobilised.
Also speaking, Acting Chairman of the NLC Political Commission, Stephen Okoro, described the renewed partnership as a restoration of the party’s founding philosophy.
He pledged that organised labour would actively participate in the National Membership Registration and Validation Exercise, mobilising workers in large numbers not only as party members but as custodians of its ideological direction.
Abia State Governor Alex Otti, represented by his deputy, Ikechukwu Emetu, stressed that unity and discipline would determine the party’s prospects in 2027.
He urged party stakeholders to begin consolidating structures, strengthening alliances and maintaining close engagement with voters well ahead of the election year.
