LP Leadership Crisis: TUC Declares Support for Abure, Warns Others to Steer Clear

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) yesterday said it has decided to align fully with the Labour Party (LP) under the leadership of Mr. Julius Abure following the crisis that erupted in the party.

TUC which along with the sister labour centre, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), are major stakeholders in LP.

Crisis recently erupted in LP when the national chairman was allegedly suspended by his ward in Edo State and subsequently followed by two contradicting court injunctions, one ordering Abure and his party executives to step aside and another ordering that he remains in charge until the case would be decided.

However, in a statement jointly signed by TUC President, Festus Osifoh and General Secretary, Nuhu Toro, the union said the Abure-led executive has its support to continue in office.

It said the use of intimidation, violence and non-democratic means to settle scores by some persons was unacceptable

It said it has been monitoring and following up closely with some sad developments within the party.

“After carefully monitoring the situation, further consultations, and review of the multiple court orders, we are aligning fully with the Labour Party under the leadership of Barrister Julius Abure.

“Furthermore, we call on the teeming supporters of our party to give the National Chairman all the required support to deliver on its mandate until a national convention is held where new officers will be elected or the current ones returned,” it said.

TUC expressed worry that in the past few weeks, internal disagreements in the Labour Party, have spilled into the public space.

It said while it believed that the unique success recorded by the party in the recent general elections may have fueled the contestations, the affairs of the party needs to be well-ordered so as to ensure discipline within the ranks of its members.

The statement added: “There have been multiple court orders, employment of non-democratic means to seize the party secretariat and the use of state institutions to intimidate opponents, all of which are strange to time-tested labour traditions.

“Some of these disagreements maybe a fall out of the party’s spectacular performance in the 2023 general elections and its creation of a desired third force to drive the development of the country.

“While this is understandable, the success of the party has to be well managed to ensure that people elected into executive and legislative positions at state and federal levels deliver on its promises to the electorate.

“LP needs to be a well-ordered party so that it can ensure discipline both within the ranks of those elected on its platform and its general membership.

“Therefore, while contestations, agitations and internal struggles are acceptable, non-constitutional means and a resort to violence and intimidation are alien to Labour and civilized culture and will not be tolerated.”