Follow Us on Google
From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has reaffirmed its stance on reclaiming the Labour Party (LP) from those it labeled as ‘imposters.’
The Congress made this known shortly after Peter Obi, the LP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, visited the embattled national chairman of the party, Julius Abure at the party’s secretariat in Abuja.
Obi, on Tuesday, paid a solidarity visit to the headquarters of the party in Abuja and was received by the party’s national chairman, Abure and other party leaders; a development that did not go down well with the leadership of the NLC.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja yesterday, the chairman, NLC Political Commission, Titus Amba, insisted that the leadership positions of the party remained vacant, adding that they would not be distracted from their mission to take over the party from Abure and others.
“Comrades, I must restate that our collective will to reposition the Labour Party is not borne out of any ill will or personal vendetta, but inspired by a sense of patriotism and service to the Nigerian workers and people.
“We owe our compatriots the duty of building for them, even if it is from the ashes, a political party which reflects the aspirations and dreams of the long-suffering masses of our people, who desire and deserve an egalitarian society that works for all. We cannot afford to shy away from this duty.
“Comrades and patriots, we must not allow ourselves to be distracted by the whimpering buzz of those who manipulate appearances to sell a dummy to the public.
“We must maintain our focus on the duty of rebuilding a Labour Party that is true to its ideology and commitment to probity, accountability and good governance.
“This is to the intent of transforming the Labour Party from a mere transactional vehicle for election contestation to an issues-based political party that carries the burden and aspiration of Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, creed or tongue.
“The overwhelming support we have been getting from Nigerians at home and in the diaspora, assures us that our motive is pure, our mission is divine and our milestone in history is assured.”
Amba added that their earlier resolve to set up committees that would conduct congresses and national convention to fill the leadership vacuum in the Labour Party was still ongoing, insisting that the tenure of Abure-led National Working Committee had since elapsed.
He said: “This meeting is in furtherance of our resolutions at the inaugural stakeholders’ meeting which took place on April 8, 2024, here in Abuja. Those resolutions, in more concrete terms, were geared towards achieving the following objectives:
“To fill the leadership vacuum in the Labour Party following the expiration of the supposed tenure of the immediate past National Working Committee of the party.
“To support the initiatives and efforts of the Nigeria Labour Congress through her Political Commission as the only body recognised by the Constitution of the Labour Party and Justice Kolawole’s Consent Judgement to act as trustee in a situation of leadership vacuum as is currently the case in the Labour Party.
“To redeem the image of the Labour Party from the gross financial rascality foisted on the party by the immediate past National Working Committee of the Party by auditing the accounts of the party and bringing to book those who have mismanaged funds belonging to the Labour Party.
“To evolve the process of holding an all-inclusive and expansive national convention of the Labour Party. Pursuant to this, today, we need to fulfil our commitments to these irreducible minimum:
“Constitute a National Convention Committee that would organise Congresses for the Labour Party from the ward to the local government, to the states and at the national level. Subsequently, we expect similar planning committees at the state and local government levels across the federation.
“Begin the process of mass mobilisation of members into the Labour Party and revalidation of existing members of the Labour Party across the country in preparation for the all-inclusive and expansive congresses and National Convention of Labour Party.
“Take on board other core party processes including reviewing the 2009 Constitution and Manifesto of the Labour Party.
“Fully take over the secretariats of the Labour Party all over Nigeria, take steps to recover all the properties of the Labour Party and pursue the prosecution of members of the immediate past National Working Committee of the party who mismanaged their office and the confidence of the members of Labour Party.
“To ensure seamless contact and communication with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and all the relevant security organisations in Nigeria on the current development and efforts towards executing the court judgment and INEC mediated agreements for an all-inclusive and expansive National Convention of the Lab
