#ElectionBuzzNig’23
The Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, says there is only one labour party in Nigeria, which is an offspring of the NLC.
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress Comrade, Ayuba Wabba, issued the statement on Thursday, to disclaim counter efforts made by the former deputy national chairman, Calistus Okafor, who was recently elected as the factional presidential candidate for the Labour Party.
Wabba says, “For the purpose of public education and clarity, we will take recourse to history.
The Labour Party is the creation and offspring of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). The decision to give birth to the Labour Party was taken by the statutory organs of the NLC and affirmed by the decision of the National Executive Council of Congress at its meeting in Bauchi in 2003, when it approved the formation of the Party for Social Democracy (PSD).
“It was at the inaugural convention of PSD in 2004 that NLC changed the name of PSD to the Labour Party and it has remained so since then,” he said.
Comrade Wabba said that the ownership of the party by the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress has never been in doubt.
Saying that the original certificate of the registration of the Labour Party is domiciled in the national headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
Also, a Federal High Court judgment by Justice G.O. Kolawole in March 2018 establishes that Labour Party belongs to workers.
“The Labour Party is what the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) say it is.
“The leadership of the NLC and TUC recognise the leadership of the Labour Party led by Barr. Julius Abure, a former trade union leader. Workers are also part of the leadership,” he added.
The NLC President, however, said that the NLC and TUC are aware of only one presidential primary, which was held in Asaba, Delta State, on May 30, 2022, and produced Mr. Peter Obi as its presidential candidate and standard-bearer.
Mr. Peter Obi Receives Labour Party Certificate of Returns as its Presidential Candidate for 2023 presidential elections. Congratulations!! pic.twitter.com/9pD9xqwa5V
— LabourPartyNG (@NgLabour) June 10, 2022
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) monitored the presidential primary that produced HE Peter Obi.
“INEC recognises only the Labour Party leadership led by the Chairman, Barr. Julius Abure and the National Secretary, Alhaji Farouk Umaru Ibrahim.
“They are the only Labour Party officials whose details are provided on the INEC website,” he said.
He said that the leadership of the NLC and TUC gave full support to the processes that produced Mr. Peter Obi as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party.
He added that Nigerians, especially workers, youths, and women, attended the presidential primary of the Labour Party in their thousands and were thoroughly satisfied with the outcome.
“We understand that with the current repositioning of the Labour Party as the party for workers, youths, students, women, traders, farmers, professionals, physically disabled persons, the unemployed, and the downtrodden.
“The Labour Party has become the albatross of establishing political parties who have suddenly become jittery and are devising all forms of conspiracy theories and subterfuge to distract the Labour Party from ongoing mass mobilisation efforts for sweeping electoral victory in the 2023 general elections,” he revealed.
According to Comrade Wabba, the public should disregard the recruitment of Calistus Okafor to advance their evil plot of distraction.
This, therefore, serves as a public disclaimer to Mr. Calistus Okafor. He, therefore, warned the public to stay clear of Calistus Okafor and such characters; they might want to cash in on the popularity of the Labour Party to hoodwink, extort, and defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
He, however, directs Nigerian workers and all the structures of the NLC and TUC to disregard the impersonation entirely by Calistus Okafor, who he says has no locus standi to speak for the Labour Party.
Workers and millions of Labour Party members who desire a New Nigeria should regard tantrums by such characters as a mere storm in a teacup.
Recall that the Labour Party’s (LP) former deputy national chairman, Calistus Okafor, said his faction had successfully concluded the National and Houses of Assembly primaries on Monday.
Okafor, who disclosed this while addressing newsmen in Abuja, also revealed that his faction had held the presidential primaries, where the flag bearer of the Labour Party emerged.
He said they would submit the lists of the candidates that emerged so far to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on or before Friday.
Suzan O.
