LP Crisis: NLC Sacks Abure-Led NWC, Nulls Nnewi Convention, Sets Up Interim Committee

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has invalidated the national convention that reinstated Julius Abure as the National Chairman, along with other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Labour Party (LP).

The announcement came through a communique at the conclusion of a stakeholders’ meeting on Monday in Abuja.

Attendees included the NLC Political Commission Chairman, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, past NLC President Abdulwahed Omar, LP Board of Trustees Chairman Sylvester Ejiofor, Obidient Movement Coordinator Dr. Moses Paul, and Plateau State LP gubernatorial candidate Chief Yohana Margif, among others.

The communique instructed the congress to establish a transition committee to manage the party’s affairs until new officers are elected.

“Owing to the current vacuum in the leadership of the Labour Party, the NLC Political Commission consequent on its status in the Constitution of the Labour Party as a registered trustee of the Labour Party, a status that was further buttressed by a Federal High Court consent judgment delivered on March 20, 2018, by Justice Gabriel Kolawole, moved for an immediate constitution of a transition committee with a mandate to set up structures at national, state, local government and ward level for the conduct of an all-inclusive and expansive national convention of the Labour Party.

“The stakeholders meeting passed a vote of no-confidence on the purported Labour Party national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra and regards as inconsequential the leadership that claims to have emerged from the illegal Nnewi Convention.

“INEC and all relevant security organisations are hereby notified and should be officially written immediately to recognise the transition committee as the interim leadership of LP pending the conduct of an all-inclusive and expansive national convention.

“The committee once constituted should fully take over the secretariats of the Labour Party all over Nigeria and shall immediately set up an assets recovery process of all the properties of the Labour Party.

“The committee shall also ensure that all the cases of fraud, impersonation, and forgery of government documents pending against a few discredited former officers of the Labour Party are forensically audited and culprits are diligently prosecuted as demanded by the leader of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi. Unfortunately, the actions of these few dishonourable characters have splashed mud on the white satin of the Labour Party.

“Pursuant to the foregoing, the committee shall within three months of its constitution ensure the conduct of an inclusive national convention of the party starting from ward congresses to local government congresses to state congresses culminating in an all-inclusive and expansive national convention in Abuja. Finally, we reiterate that the Labour Party is a Party for all Nigerians regardless of ethnic, religious, regional, social and economic orientation or status.”