By Jude Opara, Abuja
The Barr. Julius Abure led faction of the Labour Party (LP) on Wednesday said instead of blaming the federal government, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) led by Comrade Joe Ajero is responsible for the lingering crisis rocking the party.
In a statement, the party through its National Publicity Secretary (NPS), Obiora Ifoh said the labour union has been collaborating with the other faction of the party led by Sen. Nenadi Usman have been deceiving Nigerians by claiming that the federal government has been fueling the crisis.
Ifoh further alleged that Ajero has not relenting in his quest to lead members of the NLC to come and invade the National Secretariat of the party, with the view to installing the rival Usman led faction.
“The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party has been drawn to yet another illegal and purported stakeholders meeting that was held today by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC led by Comrade Joe Ajero in cohort with the Nenadi Usman and others, wherein they alleged that the Labour Party is being destabilized by the federal government because of the potential of the party.
“The NLC President, Ajero who is now sounding like a broken record, also restated his resolve to invade unannounced the national and state Secretariats of the Labour Party, with his armies, with the intention to take over the party forcefully.
“We must state clearly and categorically that if there is any person or organization that has destabilized the Labour Party or who is working to destabilize the party, it is no other person than Joe Ajero and the NLC”.
The statement added that even after the 2023 general elections, there was no crisis in the party until Ajero decided to set up a transition committee, a development it insisted ignited the crisis.
“We must also state here that after the general election in 2023, the party has no issues at all, we had no faction and we had no major disagreement in the party. It was Ajero who went ahead to illegally, unprofessionally and unconstitutionally set up a so-called Transition Committee which went all over the place making noice and debasing the image of the party.
“It was the same Committee set up by Ajero that was going to INEC everyday, constituting nuisance, all in attempt to destabilize the party, mobilizing people, including old and retired men, including Abdulawaheed Omar, Comrade Ejiofor, Lawson Osagie and Prof Theophilus Ndubaku, men who should be resting after many years of serving their fatherland, to go against the interest of the party.
“Nigerians all over, have asked Ajero to concentrate on his primary assignment to fight for the welfare of workers. The regulatory body in charge of the Labour Union in the Ministry of Labour has also publicly admonished Ajero to excuse himself from matters concerning politics and to face his legitimate assignment as a defender of workers right”.
The LP faction equally accused the Ajero led NLC of abandoning its primary responsibility of working for the interest of the workers because of his fixation on the affairs of the party.
“We put it on record that Ajero’s led NLC in all its ramifications has failed the Nigerian workers as shown by his last May Day speech. Today, Nigerian workers are oppressed, the economy is not working, there are unfair practices against workers, and nobody speaks for the oppressed workers in Nigeria, yet Ajero is busy plotting his future political ambition and toiling with the welfare of workers.
“Over the past few years, instead of the NLC to be in support of the party, and for the party to draw strength from the Labour movement as it’s done in some Scandinavian countries such as in Brazil, Australia etc, what we found in Nigeria is a reversed approach were the NLC which ought to be a source of strength, is constituting itself as a destabilizing factor for the Labour Party”.
The statement further called on “all genuine members” of the party to distance themself from the “illegal activities” of the Nenadi Usman group.
