LP dares NLC, insists on Wednesday convention

The leadership of the Labour Party said it won’t rescind the decision to hold its contentious national convention on Wednesday as planned.

The development comes two days after the party formally petitioned relevant government institutions requesting an urgent intervention to protect the party against further aggression from the Nigeria Labour Congress.

In the four separate letters written to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi; Ministry of Labour and Employment and Registrar of Trade Unions, Falonipe Amos, the party also called for disciplinary action to be taken against the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and other union leaders who spearheaded the alleged vandalisation of its properties.

The ongoing conflict over the control of the party escalated last Wednesday when members of the union acting on the directive of NLC leadership picketed LP secretariats across the country.

The move was to press home their demand for Abure’s resignation.

The protesting workers had laid siege to LP national headquarters in Abuja chanting solidarity songs and demanding Abure’s resignation.

They were however prevented from gaining access to the party secretariat by security operatives posted to the area to maintain order.

But 24 hours after the invasion, the embattled chairman released a press statement claiming the union members broke into their offices, vandalised properties worth millions of naira and made away with some staff salaries.

On Saturday, news filtered in that the Presidential Candidate of LP, Peter Obi, had been frantically making efforts to broker peace between both camps.

Obi was also said to have advised the party to shift the national convention to a later date until a lasting solution is sought.

But the party backtracked on Sunday and insisted there was no going back on its planned convention.

In an exclusive phone chat, the National Publicity Secretary of the LP, Obiora Ifoh, told our correspondent that Abure, the National Working Committee of the party and delegates would gather in Umuahia, Abia State capital.

He said, “Who told you we have cancelled the convention? That is not true. Anything that didn’t come from me or the chairman is not from the party. There is no going back.

“If not that, tomorrow is the usual ‘sit-at-home’ exercise (in the East), delegates will start arriving from tomorrow. But from Tuesday, all of us will assemble in Umuahia for the convention.”

Reacting, the NLC spokesman, Benson Upah, fumed, saying Abure would not dare the congress by going ahead with the planned convention.

Upah also warned that any conference or convention held under the leadership of the embattled chairman would amount to a jamboree in futility.

He said, “What does not exist cannot be said to have held. It is an exercise in futility, no matter where, when or how it is done. As long as it is superintended by Abure, it is nullity.

“I can assure you that we have no deal. And I want to tell you whatever they do will amount to nothing more than a useless and hopeless jamboree. Please quote me. It is a nullity and has no recognition even before it is done.”