LP, NLC Crisis: People Don’t Want Abure As Chairman – Barr Agbo

The seeming fracas between the Labour Party and the Nigeria Labour Congress is that some interests do not want Mr Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.

The Chairman of the Labour Party in Enugu State, Barr Casmir Agbo, stated this in Enugu on Wednesday.

Agbo said the NLC National Chairman, Mr Joe Ajaero, is taking the matter personal, and cautioned that Abure had sacrificed a lot in the building of the party.

Agbo agreed that NLC registered the Labour Party, adding however that Nigeria’s constitution stipulates that there must be a different organ to run the party aside NLC.

According to him, “NLC claimed that they registered the Labour Party. We are not disputing that.

“Labour unions all over the world support political parties of their choice. In Great Britain, they have a Labour Party that runs the government. In the US, they give support to the Democrats.

“It is not unusual for any labour union to support or sponsor a party. Our constitution is different here. You cannot run a political party and equally run NLC. The party must have a different organ to run the party.

“The crisis in LP is a misconception of who runs the party: whether it is NLC or another body.

“In our constitution, we have members of the National Working Committee which is the body that runs the party at the federal level. It includes representatives from NLC and the Trade Union Congress.

“These are the Labour unions we have. Section 25 of the Trade Union Act states that an organisation cannot control another organisation.

“TUC cannot control the NLC, and the NLC cannot control the Labour Party, but they can have an input.

“In that constitution, it is very clear that NLC has a representative in LP’s NWC. It is the highest making body of the LP.

“Any person saying that NLC is not represented in the Labour Party’s NWC doesn’t have the facts at all.”

He said there are some interests in NLC that want power. Quoting him, “The fact remains that some people are power mongers. It is very difficult to control a party chairman totally.

“That was the problem they had with Ayuba Waba, the then NLC President.

“Abure came in 2021 after the death of the then chairman. We made Abure an acting chairman during a mini-convention in Edo.

“We were to have a convention by 2022. When Peter Obi came in to run for the president, we shifted the convention to avoid distorting the campaign of the 2023 general elections. That is why Abure is still acting up until now.”

He said the proposed convention of LP would still hold Wednesday because it was a consensus arrangement.

He said, “After the 2023 election, we went back to Benin to brainstorm. Then we had had our elected members.

“Then Obi had failed the election. We brainstormed on what to do within the confines of our constitution. We resolved to extend Abure’s Exco members’ tenure for one year.

“I was the one that moved the motion for the extension of that tenure till this March, after which we would have our convention. We all met and moved a motion for a convention to be held on 29th of March and the circular went out.

“By our constitution, it is the secretary and the chairman that should write INEC. We wrote them and copied NLC.

“The problem in our party is that they don’t want Julius Abure. Some people want the man that they can control. We, in the party, wear the shoes.

“The NLC president is making it a personal fight. We have an NLC man in the Labour Party. The same with TUC. Why is TUC not talking? They are aware that on the MoU reached, it was agreed that NLC and Labour Party must reach a consensus on what should be done.

“We wrote them over this convention. But the underlying factor is that they don’t want Abure as a person.

“Abure was accused of mismanagement of funds. But we at the NEC have seen the retirement of funds as it pertains to money used in buying of forms.

“We are satisfied with Abure. Any person who alleges should go to court. If Abure is guilty, he should refund the alleged money.

“Abure was in that Labour without anybody. NLC was not helping financially, and NLC has subvention from the government.

“Abure was buying some office materials alone, taking care of the office. There was a time LP did not have an office. If somebody builds a house, allow him to stay in that house for one year. That is our problem with them.

“The convention is being held tomorrow so we elect our officers. Aside that, INEC can declare that Labour does not exist.”