Tensions between the Labour Party (LP) and its key ally, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), escalated publicly as the LP accused the congress of unwarranted interference in its internal matters.
The LP pointed fingers at the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, alleging that his actions had jeopardized the achievements made by the LP thus far.
In a bold move, the NLC called for the resignation of LP National Chairman, Julius Abure, and proposed the establishment of a caretaker transition committee to oversee a fair and inclusive national convention for the party.
The confrontation came to a head with a late-night open letter issued by the NLC Political Commission on Friday.
The commission criticized “certain individuals in the Labour Party leadership” for failing to align with the expectations of Nigerian workers and the broader populace, stressing the necessity for the LP to uphold exemplary standards.
The NLC further emphasized that Abure’s persistent failure to demonstrate the leadership qualities reflective of the Labour Party’s founding principles rendered him unsuitable for his position.
They alleged that his reluctance to step down was a major factor contributing to the ongoing crises within the Labour Party.
Continuing,it said: “The sole administrator mentality of Mr. Abure has stood in the way of efforts by the NLC Political Commission to intervene and resolve the leadership crises in the Labour Party.
“Our position and interventions in the Labour Party have been in three dimensions. First is to defend the Labour Party from being maligned and hijacked by fifth columnists, especially establishment political parties who have invested huge resources to recruit some members of the national leadership of the Labour Party to undermine the party.
“Second, the NLC Political Commission have continued to intervene in the leadership crisis in the Labour Party to ensure that the Party operates an efficient and effective system of management that prioritises inclusiveness, transparency and accountability; not the sole administrator system that has been foisted on the party’s psyche by Mr. Abure and his ilk who are not committed to the ideology of Labour Party.
“Third, our continued intervention in the affairs of the Labour Party is to ensure that the court judgments, agreements and organ decisions of the Labour Party are kept to the letter.
“Instead of sticking to agreements, Mr. Julius Abure has deployed all manner of subterfuge to undermine the efforts of NLC to reposition the Labour Party as the number one political party in Nigeria, including shunning invitations to meet with the NLC Political Commission.
“Mr. Julius Abure had in April 2023 also tried to unilaterally extend his tenure in office by two years. He was only stopped at the instance of the NLC and Mr. Peter Obi who insisted that the right thing be done.
“The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission regrets the recurrent scandals from the national headquarters of the Labour Party. These unsavoury developments recently appeared to have climaxed by the unfortunate spilling of sour grapes from two leaders of the Labour Party – Barrister. Julius Abure, National Chairman, and Ms. Oluchi Opara, the National Treasurer.
“We are alarmed by claims by Ms. Oluchi Opara that the National Chairman diverted about N3.5 billion of funds received from the sale of nomination forms by the Labour Party and donations for the prosecution of the 2023 political campaigns. Mr. Julius Abure has dismissed these allegations as baseless and gone ahead to suspend Ms. Opara for six months.
“Viral reports and pictures of the National Chairman of the Labour Party being hauled to the ground like a common criminal and tossed into a security vehicle has added insults to the public opprobrium that the leadership of the Labour Party had been subjected to in recent times.
“There are also pending cases of fraud, forgery and misrepresentation against the National Chairman of the Labour Party in various courts and police stations in Nigeria. This is a sour misadventure in political mischief, mismanagement and misdemeanour.
“The conduct of Mr. Julius Abure and his maladministration of the Labour Party is totally unacceptable to us.
“At the top of the crisis of mismanagement in the Labour Party is the extortionist tendencies by Mr. Abure exemplified by the monetization of the nomination process including the recent outrageous N30 million charged aspirants in the recent Edo State Governorship primary.
“Amidst the drama plaguing the Labour Party, we are alarmed that it appears that some key leaders of the Labour Party are not concerned about the huge embarrassment, nuisance, and damage to the good image of the Labour Party that their actions constitute. The truth is these scandals do not represent who we are as Labour Party”
