Labour Party Raises the Alarm over Planned NEC Meeting by Apapa Faction

Emameh Gabriel in Abuja

The Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC)of Labour Party(LP) has raised the alarm over what it described as a proposed “illegal, fake and unauthourised  National Executive Council meeting by the Apapa-led NWC of the party.

The meeting, which is expected to hold in Bauchi State on May 3, was said to be summoned at the instance of the factional leadership of the party.

The meeting is coming barely two weeks after the Abure led faction of the party held its NEC meeting in Asaba, Delta state that was attended by most of its NEC members including 36 state chairmen and Secretaries, most of the elected members of the national assembly, leader and presidential candidate of the party, Mr. Peter Obi, party trustees including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) amongst others.

In a statement signed by Obiora Ifoh, the newly appointed National Publicity Secretary of the Abure-led NWC, and made available to journalists in Abuja, the party alleged that the self-acclaimed National Chairman, Bashiru Apapa, extended the invitation to some stakeholders of the party, its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Obiora expressed worries that those invited were people the Apapa same the led NWC was working against.

He said: “These are people they are surreptitiously working to terminate their cases in the various tribunals. We concluded that the temerity to even invite these leaders was purely for publicity ops and stunts which they knew were dead on arrival.

“It is only mischievous minds that will want to obey the FCT High Court order without also respecting the Edo state High Court order which bars any party agents including these renegades from tampering with the status quo even when they know that both courts are of equal and coordinate jurisdiction.”

 He explained that there were clear provisions by the party’s constitution to summon a NEC meeting.

He said: “Article 13:2A of our party constitution is clear on the composition of the Labour Party NEC, and it did not state that expelled and suspended officers of the party shall regroup and convene a NEC of the party. The question is; who are they hoping to attend the NEC, if not their usual customers; touts, market women, street hawkers.and people who are not members of the party.

“We are using this medium to alert Nigerians that the proposed NEC meeting scheduled to hold on the 3rd of May in Bauchi is illegal. They have no powers to call for NEC, they have been suspended by NEC.

 He said the police and Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) have informed of the proposed NEC meeting.

“We are also by this statement calling on the hotel management where they are proposing to hold the illegal meeting not to give out their venue for illegal activities for obvious consequences. Members of the general public should disregard them and should have nothing to do with them”, he said.

Labour Party Raises the Alarm over Planned NEC Meeting by Apapa Faction

Emameh Gabriel in Abuja

The Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC)of Labour Party(LP) has raised the alarm over what it described as a proposed “illegal, fake and unauthourised  National Executive Council meeting by the Apapa-led NWC of the party.

The meeting, which is expected to hold in Bauchi State on May 3, was said to be summoned at the instance of the factional leadership of the party.

The meeting is coming barely two weeks after the Abure led faction of the party held its NEC meeting in Asaba, Delta state that was attended by most of its NEC members including 36 state chairmen and Secretaries, most of the elected members of the national assembly, leader and presidential candidate of the party, Mr. Peter Obi, party trustees including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) amongst others.

In a statement signed by Obiora Ifoh, the newly appointed National Publicity Secretary of the Abure-led NWC, and made available to journalists in Abuja, the party alleged that the self-acclaimed National Chairman, Bashiru Apapa, extended the invitation to some stakeholders of the party, its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Obiora expressed worries that those invited were people the Apapa same the led NWC was working against.

He said: “These are people they are surreptitiously working to terminate their cases in the various tribunals. We concluded that the temerity to even invite these leaders was purely for publicity ops and stunts which they knew were dead on arrival.

“It is only mischievous minds that will want to obey the FCT High Court order without also respecting the Edo state High Court order which bars any party agents including these renegades from tampering with the status quo even when they know that both courts are of equal and coordinate jurisdiction.”

 He explained that there were clear provisions by the party’s constitution to summon a NEC meeting.

He said: “Article 13:2A of our party constitution is clear on the composition of the Labour Party NEC, and it did not state that expelled and suspended officers of the party shall regroup and convene a NEC of the party. The question is; who are they hoping to attend the NEC, if not their usual customers; touts, market women, street hawkers.and people who are not members of the party.

“We are using this medium to alert Nigerians that the proposed NEC meeting scheduled to hold on the 3rd of May in Bauchi is illegal. They have no powers to call for NEC, they have been suspended by NEC.

 He said the police and Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) have informed of the proposed NEC meeting.

“We are also by this statement calling on the hotel management where they are proposing to hold the illegal meeting not to give out their venue for illegal activities for obvious consequences. Members of the general public should disregard them and should have nothing to do with them”, he said.