As the crisis in the Labour Party continues to deepen, a former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba has declared that the party is a property of the Congress.
Wabba who spoke on the crisis ravaging the party while featuring on Channels TV programme, explained that LP was formed by NLC as a platform for members of the union to exercise and defend their rights.
SaharaReporters had reported the picketing of Labour Party offices across the country by NLC members, over alleged financial mismanagement by the Julius Abure-led national leadership of the party.
SaharaReporters reported on March 20 that the Political Commission of the NLC also directed state chapters of to mobilise members to picket all Labour Party offices nationwide over the lingering political crisis in the party.
In a statement titled: “Picketing All Labour Party Offices Nationwide,” which was jointly signed by Chairperson and Secretary NLC Political Commission, Comrade Titus Amba and Comrade Chris Uyot, NLC accused the National Chairman of LP, Julius Abure of unilaterally deciding to hold a National Convention of the party, amid alleged financial rascality and contempt for the leadership of the NLC.
The NLC leadership has passed a vote of no confidence on Abure over allegations of corruption made against him.
But reacting, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Labour Party on March 17 called on the NLC National President, Joe Ajaero, to resign from his current position if he must contest for the national chairmanship of the party.
The LP accused Ajaero of desperately seeking to replace Abure.
Abure has been accused of misappropriating N3 billion donated by the party’s members and loyalists for the presidential campaign for the 2023 general elections.
But featuring on a Channels TV programme on Thursday night, Wabba insisted that the Labour Party is a property of the NLC.
He said, “First and foremost, the Labour Party was formed by the NLC, in the realisation of a clear objective in the Constitution of the NLC.
“Under Article 3 and Item 1, the major objective of the NLC is to promote, defend and advance the economic, political, and social rights and well-being of Nigerian workers and pensioners.
“We own the Labour Party,” he said, adding, “It was formed under the leadership of Pascal Bafyau, as Party for Social Democracy.”
He continued, “Under Adams, organs decided to change the name to the Labour Party, and the first chairman was S.O.Z Ejiofor who later handed over to Dan Anyanwu. As of today, the registration certificate of the Labour Party is in the custody of the NLC.
“And therefore, this is in tandem with what happens globally – if you hear of the Workers’ Party in Brazil it is owned by the labour union. If you hear of Labour Party in the UK which for 150 years was in the teachers union office secretariat formed by the Unions. If you hear of Labour Party in Australia, New Zealand, all of them are actually formed by workers in the realisation of the fact – what is politics itself? It is about how you are governed.
“Therefore, in defending those rights, workers also have the right to have those platforms to defend their rights. And that is why you can have an Okada rider now having a platform to contest and become a member of the House of Reps.”
Continuing, Wabba maintained that “the essence of forming the party is to make sure that workers, pensioners, farmers, can be able to have a platform to exercise their rights, which is enshrined in Section 40 of the Constitution.”
“The party was formed by NLC, and registered by NLC. It’s like you built a house, you got a C-of-O, then you rented the apartment, so you must have an interest in how the property is managed.”
On the three statutory members of NLC being members of the Labour Party, Wabba said, “Under my leadership, there had been a dispute with Labour Party which went to the court and I want to tell you that Justice Gabriel Kolawale of the Federal High Court delivered a judgement on the 20th of March 2018 and said clearly that the Labour Party belongs to the NLC.
“So, arising from that, there was a mediating effort by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and precisely on the 27th of June 2022, peace was brokered actually by INEC and there were terms of agreement. In that terms of the agreement just to reach an agreement that is how we came out with three deputies – one from the Trade Union Congress, and one from the North actually from NLC. What has brought about this particular dispute is the fact that Labour Party leadership has not respected the content and the sanctity of the consent agreement which was brokered by INEC.
“Part of it – one is the inauguration of members of the Board of Trustees under the leadership of S.O. Ejiofor, the first chairman of the Labour Party. That is item C on the consent agreement.
“Two, the conduct of congresses from ward to local government and then the national convention. Those two key items have not been respected because what the NLC saw was a letter calling for a National Convention. But there was also a timeline in the convocation of ward and local government congresses by the leadership of the party and that should have taken place not later than one year from the signing of the consent agreement which in law is like a judgement of the court. So this is what brought the dispute.”
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