NLC Leaders Storm LP’s Headquarters, Say ‘We Came to Fumigate Office against Rodents’

•I remain national chairman, Abure insists 

•Leave Abure to carry his cross, Apapa-led NWC tells workers’ union as court declines request to vacate his suspension

Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Alex Enumah and Emameh Gabriel in Abuja

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday stormed the national headquarters of Labour Party (LP) at Utako in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to show solidarity with the embattled National Chairman of the party, Mr. Julius Abure.

This was just as Abure insisted that he remains the National Chairman of the party, saying that no man can stop an idea that had come to stay.

However, in response to NLC’s position, the Bashiru Lamidi Apapa-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party has advised the leadership of NLC not to get involved in illegality against a subsisting court order.

Also yesterday, Justice Hamza Muazu of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), yesterday, refused to vacate an interim order restraining Abure from parading himself as LP’s Chairman.

Addressing workers and journalists who accompanied them to the party office, NLC’ President, Mr. Joe Ajaero, said the labour movement would resist any plot to derail the LP, especially now that it was enjoying wide acceptance by Nigerians.

An obviously enraged NLC team said under no circumstances would they allow anyone to derail the party they worked hard to recover from impostors.

“Today, we say enough is enough. Never again will any human being enter here under any guise, under any order. Even if we lose our leadership, we have to meet as trustees of this party to decide the next line of action.

“For anybody to illegally declare himself either as chairman, secretary or anything, we urge all workers anywhere in the country, where you see such people, arrest them and bring them to us.

“The hour has come. The Bible says, “from the days of John the Baptist the kingdom of God suffereth violence. And violence taketh by voice. Now we have come to take our party, we have come to establish our party.

“As the fastest growing party, you can see that envy and jealousy is crippling in. The people that are pioneering this to sabotage us let’s announce here that we know your fathers.

“If you continue this way, we will go after your fathers. We leave it here until we finish our private discussion. Let it be known to the whole world that the NLC fathered LP and we will not abandon our child,” he said.

Ajaero said NLC’s decided to visit the party headquarters to fish out intruders that want to usurp the leadership of LP.

“For some time now, we have not been visiting our house; we decided to visit our house this afternoon after getting some information that there are some rodents trying to move into our house and we have come with some insecticide to fumigate the house from any rodents that is illegally trying to enter our property.

“So that is why we are here, incidentally, we didn’t see any rodent, but we will comb around and see whether there is any.

“The LP is a child of circumstances. It began, when we lost almost all confidence in the existing political parties. And we felt that the LP will be the ideal political party that will represent our ideological persuasions.

“For anybody or group of think that they can sabotage or derail our ideological move, we will resist them with the last drop of our blood. This was formed by the NLC and TUC. This is our party. Nobody can come from the blues and declare himself as the chairman or secretary of our party without our consent.

“It is not done. Such people, if they attempt to come here next time, all their property, all their houses, their residential houses we will occupy it where ever it is located. Then, they will know that all that they have was given to them by Labour,” he stressed.

The leadership of LP later went into close door meeting with the NLC’s delegation.

Speaking after the meeting, Abure who earlier received the FCT women wing of the LP, expressed appreciation to the group and the leadership of the NLC for the solidarity visit.

He said: “I want to state here clearly that I remain committed to the struggle for a new Nigeria. I want to say that no man no man can stop an idea whose time has come.

“The time has come for Nigerians to take back their country. A new Nigeria I believe is possible and no amount of harassment intimidation. No amount of falsehoods, no amount of falsified stories will derail us from our pursuit. We refuse to be distracted.

“We will continue to pursue our court case. We are in court because they stole our mandate; so we will remain in court till that mandate is recovered. We will not rest on our oars until we reposition Nigeria for greatness,” he added.

Meanwhile the Apapa-led faction of the party has however asked the NLC not to be involved in activities that may bring disrepute to the union, saying Abure must be allowed to defend himself before the court.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, made available to journalists in Abuja, the NLC was reminded that its affiliates were not an appendage to any individual or group but an association formed and anchored on the idea to protect the interest of the Nigerian people.

Arabambi, said while it was, “too early in the day to say otherwise about the leadership of NLC because there is a subsisting court order restraining Abure and three others which we believe they are not unaware of, we want to remind them that they must out of good conscience, protect the sanctity of the union at all cost and try as much to avoid action that will cost damage to the reputation of the union.”

He added: “They were aware that a FCT High court today, 17th of April 2023, sustained the restraining order against Julius Abure and three others until the determination of the motion on notice, but went ahead to publicly fraternise with Abure who had earlier forced his way into the secretariat against a court order.

“It is pertinent at this juncture to remind Mr. Joe Ajero that he is not above the law and should note that he was once a bitter looser some years ago to the immediate past NLC president when he (Joe Ajero) formed the United Labour Congress (ULC).

“Thus, Labour party is not an avenue to display such childish rascality he is known for and we cannot be threatened by him.

“We are all Nigerians and he should be ashamed that Mr. Sam Amadi withdrew from yesterday’s Imo State illegal congress organised by the restrained former Executive because the winner dollarise the election, thus where is Joe Ajero integrity by asking for our fathers and our houses. Is it in order to attack and assassinate our families?

“We would make sure we pursue this case to a logical conclusion on Abure and three others forgery, perjury and impersonation and fraudulent activities.

“Lastly we advise the infantile Joe Ajero not to think he is above the law and we will use all judicial power as enshrined in the constitution to deal with this issues.

“Let it be known that the LP Secretariat cannot be used by criminal element to force change of power in Nigeria as we are law abiding citizen

 “Finally we dare the NLC Leadership to carry out their threat of invading the court on the next adjourned date at least to show that he has power over and above the constitution.

“The NLC as a body for workers cannot be used by any person for pecuniary gain. Abure and three others should be allowed to carry their cross.”

In a related development, Justice Hamza Muazu of a High Court of the FCT, yesterday, refused to vacate an interim order restraining Abure from parading himself as Chairman.

The judge had on April 5, issued an order restraining Abure as well as the National Secretary, Alhaji Farouk Ibrahim; National Organising Secretary, Oluchi Opara and National Treasurer, Clement Ojukwu, from parading themselves as leaders of the LP pending the hearing of a suit seeking their sack over allegations of fraud, amongst others.

While the court in addition ordered the immediate service of its orders on the defendants it had fixed April 17, for hearing in the motion on notice.

When the matter was called, Alex Ejesieme, counsel to Abure prayed the court to vacate the interim order and restore a semblance of sanity, after a forceful takeover of the LP national secretariat by another faction.

The senior lawyer said the division in the party following the interim order had worsened to the point that four groups in the Imo State chapter of the Labour Party held parallel primaries.

In a short ruling, the judge who declined to vacate the order, instead ordered for an accelerated hearing in the matter, and fixed April 20, for the hearing of all pending applications.

Consequently, Justice Muazu ordered all parties in the suit to ensure quick filing of their processes in order to ensure a speedy trial.

Some aggrieved members of the LP had through an ex parte application prayed the court to stop the defendants from further acting on behalf of the LP, pending the hearing and determination of their suit challenging the continued stay in office of the defendants over allegations of corruption.

The claimants amongst whom were: Martins Esikpali John, Lucky shaibu, Idah Zekeri, omogbai Frank, Abokhaiu aliu, Ayokhaire later, Job Elomah and Dr abayomi Arabambi, had in the Motion number: M/7082/2023, accused the defendants of forgery, perjury, unlawful and fraudulent replacement of party’s candidates in the just concluded general elections.

Specifically, the claimants submitted that the defendants forged court documents including receipts and seal of the FCT High Court which they had allegedly used in the substitutions of LP’s candidates in the 2023 general elections.

However, Justice Muazu after listening to the argument of Chief Ogwu Onoja, counsel to the claimants, held that there was merit in the application and subsequently issued an order temporarily restraining the defendants from parading themselves as leaders of the party pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.