By Sodiq Adelakun
In a move that threatens to reignite the ongoing feud within the Labour Party (LP), Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), on Tuesday, issued a directive to union leaders across Nigeria to mobilise their members in preparation to reclaim 36 offices and the national secretariat of the Labour Party in Abuja.
This development follows a landmark Supreme Court judgment last Friday, which vacated previous lower court rulings concerning the leadership dispute within the party.
Ajaero’s internal memo, which was exclusively obtained by newsmen, directed members to once again descend on the LP’s offices, citing the urgent need to enforce the Supreme Court’s pronouncement.
The latest directive mirrors a similar move in March 2024 when disgruntled union members stormed LP headquarters, accusing party officials of misconduct and attempting to unlawfully seize sensitive documents and funds.
In his internal communication, Ajaero made it clear that the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress could no longer stand idly by while Julius Abure and his loyalists blatantly ignored the rule of law.
“Just as we warned him about a year ago that Nigerian workers and genuine members of the Labour Party will always collect what belongs to them no matter how long a mischief lasts.
“By this communication, we urge every worker in Nigeria, all genuine members of the Labour Party, and all lovers of democracy, to be on standby to once again peacefully repossess all offices of the Labour Party nationwide,” Ajaero asserted.
He further emphasised that NLC’s Political Commission, alongside concerned Labour Party stakeholders, would issue additional directives for the mobilization effort.
Ajaero also stressed the role of the security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Service, in ensuring the enforcement of the Supreme Court’s decision.
“We expect their cooperation as we pursue the rule of law. Any action to the contrary will present our dear country as a banana republic. Nigerian workers and people, especially genuine members of the Labour Party, will not sit back and watch unscrupulous elements desecrate Nigeria’s laws and the well-founded judgment of the Supreme Court,” the NLC President declared.
In his condemnation of Abure’s continued leadership, Ajaero expressed disbelief that the LP leadership, despite the Court’s ruling, had not vacated their posts.
He warned that the failure to comply with the judgment demonstrated an alarming disregard for the rule of law. Ajaero also called for the removal of Abure and his loyalists’ names from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s portal, demanding that the electoral body comply with the Supreme Court’s judgment.
“To resolve the leadership vacuum in the party,” the surviving institutional members of the LP National Executive Committee would appoint an interim leadership to conduct an inclusive National Convention in line with the provisions of the LP Constitution and the consent continue, “Ajaero continued.
While the Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, was unavailable for comment, the party’s National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk, reacted to Ajaero’s remarks, dismissing the threat as nothing new.
“We will soon issue a statement on it. The threat is nothing new. We are used to their rascality,” Farouk said.
The legal and political ramifications of this escalating dispute remain to be seen, with many observers questioning whether Ajaero’s bold actions will result in further polarisation within the party or finally resolve the long-standing leadership crisis.
