NLC gives members nationwide orders to picket Labour Party secretariats
Comment
The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Labour Party leadership continued to clash, and on Wednesday the labor union gave its state councils and political commission orders to picket Labour Party secretariats all over the nation.
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According to Punch, The NLC Political Commission’s secretary, Chris Uyot, and chairperson, Titus Amba, signed a letter on Wednesday that contained this information.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024, was the date on the letter.
The directive was said to have been issued following a virtual meeting on March 19, 2024, between the NLC National Political Commission and the State Council and State Political Committee leadership.
As the letter partly read.“Given the intransigence of the National Chairman of the Labour Party to unilaterally hold a National Convention of the Labour Party, financial rascality, and contempt for the leadership of the NLC, the NLC State Councils and State Political Committees should mobilize workers to picket all the State Secretariats of the Labour Party, scheduled for Wednesday, 20th March 2024.”
The Labour Party’s National Working Committee accused Joe Ajaero, the NLC President, of attempting in vain to unseat Julius Abure, the party’s National Chairman.
The accusation was in response to an open letter released on Friday by the Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission, the NLC’s political wing.
In the letter, Abure and the NWC were accused of proposing plans for a national convention to be held on March 27 in Umuahia, the state capital of Abia State.
There were concerns about the convention’s secrecy, but it was said to be intended to re-elect Abure as the Labour Party’s sole administrator.
Abure’s immediate resignation as party chairman is being demanded by the political wing of the NLC, which believes the planned convention to be illegal.
To plan an official and inclusive national convention for the party, they are also advocating for the creation of a caretaker transition committee.
The directive was sharply resisted by the LP leadership, who claimed that Ajaero’s purported ambition to succeed him as the party’s national chairman was its motivation.
In response, the Labour Party advised Joe Ajero to “resign as NLC President to contest LP Chairmanship,” in a statement. The leadership of the party does not feel compelled to heed the advice of unionists who are not party members, as stated by LP’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh.
In the Tuesday directive concluded.“Given the soon to be held all-inclusive national convention of the Labour Party, the NLC State Councils and the NLC Political Committees should immediately embark on a statewide mobilisation of workers to join the NLC Political Commission and the Labour Party.
“The NLC State Council and State Political Committees should work with our civil society allies, students, traders, and professionals to ensure that the picketing and mobilisation are successfully executed.”
