The Nigeria Labour Congress has nullified the national convention that re-elected Julius Abure as National Chairman of the Labour Party, along with his National Working Committee.
According to a statement from the NLC stakeholders’ meeting, the group nnounced plans to establish a transition committee to manage the party’s affairs until new officers are elected within three months.
The decision made by the union members on Monday also highlighted the importance of conducting a thorough examination of LP bank accounts, aligning with the request of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
This comes in response to allegations of corruption, forgery, and fraud against the party’s leadership.
The statement read in part , “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 in the purported Labour Party national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State 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
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“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 leader of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi. It is unfortunate that the actions of these few dishonourable characters have splashed mud on the white satin of 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.”
When called for a reaction, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, said the NWC could not be intimidated by the NLC stakeholders and their ‘co-travellers.’
He said, “We are not interested in whatever they do and LP won’t give credence to any statement they issue. You can imagine the level of impunity with which these people are acting. They have no power to do anything.”
A few hours after a large gathering of LP supporters staged a protest in Abuja against perceived harassment and meddling in the party’s affairs, a vote of no confidence was passed against Abure and his NWC.
The demonstrators, carrying placards declaring support for Abure and vowing to resist any attempt to seize control of the party, were barred from accessing the NLC stakeholders’ meeting venue by security personnel.
