Labour Party Stakeholders Set Up Transition Committee to Organise Convention

•Obi’s aide sues for peace as pro-Abure protesters set for showdown with NLC

Chuks Okocha and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Labour Party stakeholders, yesterday, set up a Transition Committee that will reconcile aggreived members and help organised an all-inclusive national convention, with a view to forestalling leadership vacuum.

The committee was, however, mandated to consult widely and to organise the national convention within the next three months.

At the same time, the spokesperson of the Obidient Movement, Dr. Tanko Yanusa, has sued for peace as the party undertakes another leadership journey.

This was as protesters from Utako area of Abuja stormed the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) commission, spoiling for a showdown.

The stakeholders’ meeting was convened by the NLC under the auspices of its political commission, acting in its capacity as the registered trustee of Labour Party to devise ways of resolving the leadership conflict in the party.

Among the resolutions reached at the meeting held in Abuja were the constitution of a Transition Committee of party with a mandate to organise congresses and all-inclusive national convention.

In a communique issued at the end the meeting, the stakeholders unanimously adopted a motion to accept the recommendations made by the NLC Political Commission in order to reposition the party from a mere platform for contesting elections to a viable political vehicle for the emancipation of Nigerian workers.

The stakeholders resolved to: “Constitute a Transition Committee under the leadership of the NLC Political Commission and working with all stakeholders with a mandate to set up structures at national, state, local government and ward level for the conduct of an all-inclusive and expansive national convention of the Labour Party.”

They passed a vote of no-confidence on the purported Labour Party national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State and regarded as inconsequential, the leadership that claimed to have emerged from the convention.

The meeting resolved to write the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and all the relevant security organisations in Nigeria  urging them to immediately recognise the Transition Committee as the interim leadership of the Labour Party pending the conduct of an all-inclusive and expansive National Convention of the Labour Party.

“That the Transition Committee once constituted should fully take over the secretariats of the Labour Party all over Nigeria. That the Transition Committee shall immediately set up an assets recovery process of all the properties of the Labour Party.

“The Transition Committee shall also ensure that all the cases of fraud, impersonation and forgery of government documents pending against a few discredited former officers of the Labour Party are forensically audited and culprits are diligently prosecuted as demanded by leader of the Labour Party – Mr. Peter Obi. It is unfortunate that the actions of these few dishonourable characters have splashed mud on the white satin of Labour Party.

“That the Transition Committee shall within three months of its constitution ensure the conduct of an inclusive national convention of the Labour Party starting from ward congresses to local government congresses to state congresses culminating in an all-inclusive and expansive National Convention in Abuja.”

The Transition Committee was in addition mandated by the Stakeholders Meeting to begin the process of revalidation of current members of the Labour Party and the registration of new members through the issuance of new membership cards and receipt of membership dues for the purpose of the conduct of an all-inclusive and expansive national convention of the Labour Party

However, Obi, who was represented by Yanusa, said the former presidential candidate wanted the stakeholders to work for  a peaceful resolution of the contending issues in the party, adding that Obi would want the reconciliation to begin from resolving all litigations pending at the courts.

Chairman of the meeting, and former President of NLC, Comrade Waheed Umar, said the reason for the meeting was for all the various groups and coalitions to form a strong union with the aim of salvaging LP from a dubious clique that is holding it down.

He said there was the need to adopt  a procedure for an expansive, all-inclusive national convention

According him, if nothing was done to correct the anomalies in the leadership structure of labour party now,  opponents of the party might take advantage of the situation and go to court and rubbish whatever candidates the party will be presenting to INEC.

While welcoming participants, the Acting Chairman of the NLC Political Commission, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, said the meeting was convened to rescue Labour Party from disintegration.

He said Labour Party had over the years turned into a mercantile political party used for the sole purpose of contesting election

While pledging the allegiance of the Obidient Movement, the Coordinator of the group, Dr. Moses Paul, said the group made up of mainly youths were out to support emergence of credible leadership in the party and for the country.

Meanwhile, supporters of the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Comrade Julius Abure, took to the streets in Gudu, Abuja, yesterday, to protest what they described as the meddlesome of the NLC in the affairs of the party.

Dozens of protesters carrying placards with inscriptions such as “On Abure’s mandate we stand”, “NLC leave Abure alone,” and “Nnawi’ National Convention is valid”, began their march from the new Abuja chapter secretariat.