The Nigeria Labour Congress NLC has ordered executive members of its state councils across the country to picket all Labour Party secretariats nationwide.
Grassroots Parrot reports that the lingering crisis between the NLC and the leadership of the party took a new dimension on Wednesday, following the picketing instruction.
This was contained in a letter signed by the chairperson of the NLC Political Commission, Titus Amba, and the secretary, Chris Uyot, dated Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
According to the letter, the directive is coming after a virtual meeting of the NLC National Political Commission and the leadership of the NLC State Councils and State Political Committees, which took place on March 19, 2024.
Recall that on Saturday March 16, the National Working Committee of the Labour Party accused Joe Ajaero, the President of the NLC, of making desperate attempts to replace Julius Abure, the Labour Party National Chairman.
The allegation was a response to an open letter written on Friday by the political wing of the NLC, the Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission.
The letter raised allegations against Abure and the NWC, claiming that they had put forward plans for a national convention in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State, on March 27.
The convention was said to be aimed at re-electing Abure as the sole administrator of the Labour Party, with concerns of secrecy surrounding the event.
The political wing of the NLC deemed the planned convention illegal and is demanding the immediate resignation of Abure as the party chairman.
They are also calling for the formation of a caretaker transition committee to organise a legitimate and all-inclusive national convention for the party.
However, the LP leadership strongly opposed the directive, alleging that it was driven by Ajaero’s supposed desire to become the next national chairman of the party.
Reacting in a statement titled ‘Resign as NLC President to Contest LP Chairmanship, Labour Party advises Joe Ajero,’ the National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, made it clear that the party’s leadership does not feel obligated to follow the directives of non-party members who are unionists.
“In view of 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,” the Tuesday directive concluded.