The Labour Party (LP) has sacked the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Julius Abure, and members of the National Executive Committee (NEC).
To address the leadership vacuum, the party set up a 29-member caretaker committee headed by former Finance Minister, Senator Esther Nenadi Usman and Secretary, Hon Darlington Nwokocha.
The decision was a result of a “duly constituted” NEC and extended stakeholders meeting held in Umuahia by the party’s sole governor, Mr Alex Oti, Governor of Abia State.
The meeting, chaired by Mr Peter Obi, the LP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, was well attended by prominent members of the party, including all LP federal and state MPs.
Abure and his colleagues were not present at the meeting.
The stakeholders stressed that since Abure’s tenure ended in June, he no longer has any legitimacy to continue in the position of national chairman.
A five-point communique read by Hon Edward Pwajok, the LP 2023 deputy governorship candidate in Plateau State, said the membership of the committee reflects “different interests and tendencies” in the party.
Vital interests include the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Senate, House of Representatives, House of Assembly and the LP governorship candidate in 2023.
According to the release, the caretaker committee should “immediately ensure” that full party congresses are held at the ward, local government, state and national levels “as soon as possible”.
The caretaker committee will preside over the affairs of the LP for the next three months, during which new leaders will emerge from the ward to the national level after the party congress.
The stakeholders urged “all party members to support the caretaker committee in completing its task.”
Obi commended Otti’s efforts in repositioning the party to hold the meeting as planned.
“We consulted and discussed,” he said, and thereafter agreed on the need to convene an expanded stakeholders meeting to resolve the troubling issues affecting the LP.
The former governor of Anambra State told his party members that they already know “my position” in the crisis brewing in the party.
Obi said that because of the stance he took, “I have been called all sorts of names. Some said I was not serious; some said I was weak and should not offer myself as a presidential candidate again.”
He said that people's unpleasant comments won't change his situation.
“But I want due process to be followed. Whatever we are going to do in the future, I want everybody to be free to participate. Moving forward, everybody must learn to sacrifice for the party,” Obi said.
The LP's national leader spoke in a conciliatory tone. He said the purpose of the meeting was not to suspend or dismiss party members, therefore, “no one will be isolated after this meeting”.
Usman said the caretaker committee has been entrusted with a “huge responsibility”.
But he assured party stakeholders and elders that the committee would work to put the LP back on track.
The caretaker committee chairman said the crisis in the LP was causing potential members to back out, saying, “People have not registered with the LP because problems have arisen in the party.”
Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo
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