NLC pickets Labour Party office

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday picketed the Labour Party headquarters to press home its demand for the immediate resignation of the Party National Chairman, Mr Julius Abure.

By Joan Nwagwu

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday picketed the Labour Party headquarters to press home its demand for the immediate resignation of the Party National Chairman, Mr Julius Abure.

Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, Deputy President of NLC Political Commission while addressing newsmen during the picketing in Abuja said the Congress had passed a vote of no confidence in Abure.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the NLC Political Commission had alleged that Abure convened a national convention of the party as if he had sole proprietorship over it.

Subsequently, the NLC Political Commission had called for his immediate resignation.

NAN reports that the protesting workers carried placards with inscriptions; “Bye bye to Abure, Labour Party is our party,” Our party, our hope, “Away with corrupt leaders in the party, among others.

Ndubuaku said that the picketing at the headquarters of the party was to express workers’ grievances towards Abure’s administration of the party.

According to him, Nigeria is not the only country that has a political party backed by organised labour.

“Why would our own be different. The essence of registering a Labour Party in this country is not only to become a president or office holders but to create a viable opposition.

“Any country where there is no any viable opposition, then, there would be dictatorship.The reason we set up this party is to have good governance in this country.

“There have been court judgements, declaring Labour party as been owned by the NLC and there has been intervention by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), telling Abure to appoint members of Board of Trustees (BoT).

“They have also told Abure to organise an all inclusive convention but what we now saw, is a notice of a convention that we do not know about.

“We do not know who are the delegates that are  going to be at that convention and even the elected officers in the National Assembly (NASS) are not aware of this, ”he said.

Ndubuakun noted that, a day before Abure issued the notice of the convention, he was with the NLC president, Joe Ajaero and the members of the political commission at the Congress headquarters but he did not informed 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,” he said.

Also speaking, Mr Bello Ismail, Acting General Secretary of NLC said that the commission had been engaging Abure on issues concerning the party, but he failed to inform them on the upcoming convention of the party.

Ismail said that Abure did not follow due process as it concerns the plans for the party’s convention.

“We were also thinking that he was going to organise a convention in line with the understanding with organised labour.

“But Abure knowing that he can never agree to an all inclusive convention wanted to do the convention by himself.

“Those in the NLC Political Commission has put in a lot of efforts in the party and
we would insist that all democratic norms are fulfilled.

“We will insist that workers take back their party. We want a convention where all the stakeholders, the workers, youths, informal workers, among others are involved.

“The party is now in the hands of usurpers, who are looking for N30 million or N40 million for the purchase of forms. excluding the people who founded the party,” he said.

Mr Chris Uyot, General Secretary of the Commission said it was wrong for Abure to plan a convention without consultation with the stakeholders of the party.

Uyot noted that the NLC Political Commission would not allow the convention to hold.

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 dictators, ”he said.(NAN)