Labour Party Crisis Deepens as NLC and Caretaker Committee Align Against Abure

 

Photo: The Nation

The internal battle for control of the Labour Party (LP) just got more intense. Two major factions—the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) led by Joe Ajaero and the National Caretaker Committee (NCC) led by Senator Esther Nenadi-Usman—have teamed up against the camp led by the embattled National Chairman, Julius Abure.

Ajaero was present at a high-level stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, chaired by Nenadi-Usman, where the National Executive Council (NEC) approved key reforms aimed at reorganizing the party. Notably, representatives of Abia State Governor Alex Otti and former Anambra Governor Peter Obi also attended.

Others in attendance included:

• NLC General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja

• LP Women’s Commission Chair, Salamatou Aliu

• Labour Party Board of Trustees Chair, Comrade SOZ Ejiofor

• BoT Secretary, Comrade Salisu Mohammed

• Representatives of the TUC President

This was the first official NEC meeting since the Supreme Court weighed in on the party’s drawn-out leadership dispute.

NEC’s Big Moves

According to the meeting’s communiqué, the NEC agreed to expand the National Working Committee (NWC) and begin preparations for a broad-based national convention within 90 days.

Here’s a breakdown of the major resolutions:

• NWC Expansion: Three Deputy National Chairmen and three Deputy National Secretaries will be appointed to assist the current leadership, with Senator Nenadi-Usman temporarily heading the transition as National Chairman.

• Filling Vacant Posts: All open positions in the NWC will be filled immediately.

• Committees: New standing and ad-hoc committees will be formed to oversee the congresses and prepare for the upcoming national convention.

• New Headquarters: A new national secretariat will be opened in Abuja, while the current office at IBM Haruna Street, Utako, will be shut down. INEC will be officially notified of this change.

• Membership Drive: The party will launch a massive registration campaign, aiming to onboard 10 million members within 30 days. Members will be able to register online and receive downloadable ID cards. Existing members will also revalidate their status and pay a yearly fee of ₦1,200. Support groups will get official registration certificates with unique IDs.

These changes are aligned with a 2022 settlement between the NLC and the LP, facilitated by INEC.