Labour Party’s Crisis Worsens as Faction Invades National Secretariat

The internal crisis within the Labour Party worsened turn when a faction invaded the national secretariat of the party yesterday.

A group of party loyalists aided by regular policemen, stormed the party’s national secretariat located at Utako, yesterday to take control of the structure.

When the dust settled, seven members of the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, announced the appointment of the National Vice Chairman (South), Lamidi Bashir Apapa, as Acting National Chairman.

READ ALSO: Massive Flight Cancellations Loom, as FAAN, Oil Marketers Clash

In his maiden address, Apapa said his appointment was part of the outcome of an emergency meeting of the NWC, which was sequel to the judgement of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court .

The court, he said, restrained Julius Abure from parading himself as national chairman of the party.

Recall that apart from Abure, the court also restrained three other officers of the party over alleged forgery.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Hamza Muazu, also ordered that the originating processes of the court be served on the restrained officials – Abure, the National Secretary, Umar Farouk Ibrahim; the National Treasurer, Oluchi Opara; and the National Organising Secretary, Clement Ojukwu.

The judge held that the ex parte application for interim injunction restraining the four officials by aggrieved members of the LP before the court had merit and granted same.

Speaking further, Apapa announced that the NWC equally reviewed the suspension of party members and executive that were earlier suspended by the Abure-led leadership.

The three other officials restrained by the court were also replaced by Alhaji Saleh Lawal- acting national secretary, Rowland Daramola- acting treasurer, and Prince Reuben Favour – acting organising secretary.

Apapa said further: “The NWC equally reviewed that recently there are some cases of suspensions that were badly handled. And this National Working Committee meeting has reviewed them, and the suspension all over are hereby reviewed and the officers are reinstated.

“With effect from now, the so called officers who the court had barred should not parade themselves as officers of the party until cases against them are treated or handled by the party.”

In a related development, The Nigeria Labour Congress, an affiliate of the Labour Party has said the sacking of the National Chairman, the National Secretary, National Treasurer and the Publicity Secretary of the Party, Messrs Julius Abure, Alhaji Farouk Ibrahim, Clement Ojukwu and Opara, respectively, by the High Court in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, is an attempt to decapitate the leadership of the party and weaken it.

READ ALSO: Phyno Releases ‘Ojemba’ Official Music Video With Olamide

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Joseph Ajaero, in a statement in Abuja, on Thursday, said the sacking of the executives of the party was greatly suspicious.

He added that it cannot be far from the intent to weaken the party from within or distract it from its fight to reclaim its stolen mandate at the polls.

The NLC in its statement said the allegations on which the Judge based his ruling on the application were unfounded, unproven and highly speculative and malicious.