By Victor Ujumadu, Omeiza Ajayi, John Alechenu & Nwabueze Okonkwo
Despite the opposition of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Mr Julius Abure was yesterday re-elected as the national chairman of the Labour Party for a second term by a unanimous affirmation of delegates.
But the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said it did not monitor the purported national convention which was held in Nnewi, Anambra State.
However, shortly after he emerged as the national chairman of the party for a second tenure, Abure declared the positions of deputy national chairmen of the party reserved for the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, vacant.
The convention empowered the National Working Committee, NWC, to fill the existing vacancies in the NWC and NEC.
In a communique issued at the end of the convention, which was signed by Abure and Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, the National Secretary, the convention noted that based on the antecedents of its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, before, during and after the 2023 general election, it recommended that the 2027 presidential ticket of the party be solely reserved for him.
According to the communique, the convention reviewed the ongoing development and performance of its governor in Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, who passed a vote of confidence on him and recommended that 2027 Abia State gubernatorial ticket of the party also be reserved for him.
The communique read: “The National convention reviewed the state of the nation and concluded that it is not grabbing power that matters, but what you do with it.
“After the 2023 general election, the security situation of the nation has not improved as there is a geometrical increase in several lives lost and the economy has worsened as the standard and conditions of living of the Nigerian populace have continued to deteriorate.
“Inflation is skyrocketing, unemployment rate is high, this has led to massive hunger and poverty in the land. This is a result of the continuous devaluation of the currency and an increase in petroleum product prices.
“The convention-in-session, therefore, calls on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to quickly take drastic and proactive steps to save the economy from total collapse, to revive the economy and put it on the path of growth and development.
“The convention-in-session also advises the President to bring up proactive measures that will encourage indigenous producers, so that our Gross Domestic Product can increase and dependency on foreign products should be discouraged.
“It recommends a sound economic team that will take a holistic review of various economic strategies to see how it can be revamped and have citizens enjoy the natural potentials the nation is endowed with and put the country in her rightful place among the comity of nations due to its abundant natural and human resources.
“It notes with concern, the renewed insecurity in the country, especially Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, and other states and calls on the President to secure the lives and property of Nigerians, which is the primary responsibility of government.
”It also calls for the general restructuring of the security architecture to meet with current security challenges facing the nation and advocates decentralisation of the Nigeria Police Force to pave way for regional, state, local and community policing.”
The convention approved the audited financial report of the party for the period 2022 to 2023 financial years, as well as its 2024 annual budget already presented.
LP assured its members across the country of an optimistic and bright future and appreciated groups for their steadfast support in the 2023 general election and onwards.
“Now that elections are over, the convention-in-session encourages all groups to collapse their structures at the ward, local, and national levels into the already existing structure of the party,” the communique read.
On why Peter Obi, Datti-Ahmed and other prominent members of the party were absent at the convention, the National Vice Chairman, South East, Ceekay Igara, said: “Obi’s absence did not in any way affect or stop the convention from taking place because the convention was for national delegates and Obi is not a delegate.”
The list of elected national officers are: National Chairman -Julius Abure; Deputy National Chairman – Mr. Clement Ojukwu; Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Ayo Olunrufemi; Deputy National Chairman, NLC, – vacant; Deputy National Chairman, TUC, – vacant; Deputy National Chairman – vacant;
and National Vice Chairman – North Central -Abraham Idoko, National Vice Chairman South East- Ceekay Igara, National Vice Chairman, South-South, Anthony C. Ezeagwu.
Others include National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim; Deputy National Secretary Rotimi Kehinde Adekunle; Deputy National Secretary -Innocent Okeke; National Treasurer – Mrs Ngozi Doga; National Financial Secretary -Dayo Ekong; and National Publicity Secretary – Mr. Ifoh Obiora.
Other officers are National Organizing- Secretary, Comrade Yahuza Ahmed; National Legal Adviser -Barr. Kehinde Eden; National Women leader -Mrs. Dudu Manuga; National Youth Leader – Prince Kennedy Ihanotu; Assistant National Youth Leader, North West, Abdulrahman Chindo; and Assistant National Youth Leader, South-South, -Barry Auotu
INEC boycotts LP’s Anambra Convention
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said it did not monitor the purported national convention of the party.
Organized labour had, through the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, a few days ago, written the commission, advising it not to validate the said convention by monitoring it.
When contacted yesterday, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the commission was not present at the event.
“INEC did not monitor the Labour Party LP convention in Anambra State,” he told Vanguard.
We duly notified INEC- LP
Meanwhile, the Abure-led National Working Committee of the Labour Party has said its National Convention complied with the party’s constitution as well as INEC’s guidelines.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Obiora Ifoh, said this in a telephone interview with Vanguard from Nnewi, venue of the convention, that was concluded yesterday.
Responding to claims in some quarters that the party didn’t notify INEC in writing 21 days ahead of the convention, Ifoh dismissed such claims as “the handiwork of mischief makers.”
He said: “We duly informed INEC within the stipulated period, we have evidence. Even when we had to change the venue on two occasions we wrote INEC.“
