The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) shook the political arena on Monday by nullifying the national convention that reinstated Julius Abure and his National Working Committee (NWC) to their positions within the Labour Party.
To address the resulting leadership vacuum, stakeholders have proposed the establishment of a transition committee to oversee party affairs until new officers are elected in three months.
Present at the gathering were esteemed figures including Prof Theophilus Ndubuaku representing the Chairman of NLC Political Commission, former President of Nigeria Labour Congress Abdulwahed Omar, Chairman of LP Board of Trustees Sylvester Ejiofor, Coordinator of Obidient Movement Dr. Moses Paul, and LP Plateau Governorship Candidate Chief Yohana Margif, among others.
The decision reached by the unionists also highlighted the urgency of conducting a forensic audit of the LP, as requested by presidential candidate Peter Obi, to address allegations of corruption, forgery, and fraud against the party’s leadership.
In a communique released after the meeting and shared with The PUNCH, it was emphasized that due to the current leadership void, the NLC Political Commission proposed the immediate formation of a transition committee. This committee is tasked with setting up structures at all levels of the LP and organizing an all-inclusive national convention.
Furthermore, the stakeholders expressed a vote of no confidence in the purported national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State, and deemed the leadership emerging from it as inconsequential. They called on INEC and relevant security agencies to recognize the transition committee as the interim leadership of the LP.
Obiora Ifoh, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, dismissed the actions of the NLC stakeholders, asserting that the NWC won’t be swayed by intimidation.
The vote of no confidence in Abure and his NWC came after LP supporters staged a protest in Abuja against alleged harassment and interference in the party’s affairs. Despite the spirited resistance of the protesters, security operatives prevented them from accessing the venue of the NLC stakeholders meeting.