In what appears to be a tumultuous turn of events, the Labour Party (LP) finds itself engulfed in a deeper crisis as its Board of Trustees (BoT) asserts control following the expiration of the tenure of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Julius Abure.
Sylvester Ejiofor, the Chairman of the LP’s BoT, issued a statement declaring the takeover necessary to prevent a leadership vacuum. The move comes despite the recent convention in Nnewi, Anambra State, where Abure was returned as National Chairman along with several other national officers.
The statement cited a Federal High Court consent judgement from March 20, 2018, which recognised the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as the LP’s owners and mandated an all-inclusive national convention. It also referenced an agreement signed between Abure, the NLC, and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in June 2022, mediated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The BoT pledged to communicate soon the processes for conducting an all-inclusive and expansive national convention, beginning with grassroots congresses at ward, local government, state, and national levels. Unlike the convention in Nnewi, which they described as a charade, the BoT emphasised that their approach would be transparent and inclusive, involving INEC, the media, civil society, security agents, and the general public.
While acknowledging the contributions of LP members, the BoT commended key stakeholders, including LP leader Peter Obi, for their refusal to endorse the events in Nnewi.
They assured stakeholders of their commitment to reclaiming and repositioning the LP as a vehicle for the socio-political emancipation of the country’s working people and populace.
