By Editor
The Labour Party (LP), Edo State chapter and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), have engaged in trade of words in Benin City.
While the Labour Party, through its scribes, Comrade Sam Uropka, is asking the NLC to concentrate on the issues of workers welfare and not party, the NLC is accusing the LP national chairman, Julius Abure of running the party as his own personal business, thereby resulting to the sealing off of the party’s secretariat in Benin.
Comrade Suleiman Abubakar, the State Vice Chairman, NLC Edo State Council, while shutting down the secretariat, said their reason for sealing off the secretariat, was because the National Chairman of the party, Bar Julius Abure is running the party like his personal property and business.
Recall that a circular signed by Comrades Titus Amba and Chris Uyot, Chairperson and Secretary of the NLC Political Commission respectively and dated March 19,2024 directed that all Labour Party state secretariats to be picketed by state council of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
The circular reads.
“We bring you fraternal greetings from the Nigeria Labour Congress.Sequel to a meeting of the NLC National Political Commission and the leadership of the NLC State Councils and State Political Committees which took place virtually on the 19th of March 2024, it was resolved as follows:
“That given the intransigence of the National Chairman of the Labour Party to unilaterally hold a National Convention of the Labour Party, financial rascality and contempt for the leadership of the NLC, the NLC State Councils and State Political Committees should mobilize workers to picket all the State Secretariats of the Labour Party, scheduled for Wednesday, 20th of March 2024.
“In view of the soon to be held all-inclusive national convention of the Labour Party, the NLC State Councils and the NLC Political Committees should
immediately embark on a statewide mobilisation of workers to join the NLC Political Commission and the Labour Party.
” The NLC State Council and State Political Committees should work with our civil society allies, students, traders and professionals to ensure that the picketing
and mobilisation are successfully executed.” The circular concluded.
Comrade Suleiman Abubakar argued that Labour party belong to NLC and therefore NLC should be carried along in every decision and warned that NLC will not allow Julius Abure impose any candidate on them as the national chairman.
“We were directed across the 36 states of the federation to picket the Labour Party offices across the states.
“We ought to have done the picketing on Wednesday as directed by the political commission of NLC,but because we were unable to mobilize our members.
“The reason is that the National Chairman, Bar Julius Abure is running the party like his personal property . Everybody should be carried along. He has announced the national convention and wants to hand-pick and impose a candidate on us.
“This not the time to hand-pick and impose anybody.
“The way forward is for him to go to the national and resolve his difference with the national.
“He must learn to play by the rule of the game. We are not being sponsored, nobody is sponsoring us.” He said.
Reacting, the Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party in Edo State, Comrade Sam Uropka said the NLC has abandoned it’s primary responsibility to Nigerian workers and are chasing shadows ,while workers are dying of hunger and other challenges facing Nigerian workers.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress has left their primary responsibility. They are supposed to be fighting for the interest of workers for a better living.
“They have left all these things and they are fighting political party that is not in government. Workers are suffering. Look at the current minimum wage, the cost of food stuff.
“Today, a lot of persons cannot pay transport to their places of work. The NLC is not looking into that ,but they are fighting political party.
“How many of them are card carrying members of the Labour Party? For you to query what is happening in a political party, you must be a card carrying member and also discharge your financial responsibility to the party. Many of them are in PDP, others are in APC.
” So, why are they concerned with the events in the Labour Party?.” He asked rhetorically.