Despite opposition from the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Julius Abure secured a second term as the National Chairman of the Labour Party with unanimous support from delegates.
The declaration was made by Mr. Ikechukwu Emetu, the Chairman of the National Convention and Deputy Governor of Abia State, at the party’s national convention in Nnewi, Anambra State.
Abure’s re-election comes amid ongoing tensions with NLC leadership, particularly led by Joe Ajaero. The NLC had previously called for Abure’s resignation and the establishment of a caretaker transition committee to organize a new national convention.
Protests erupted on March 20 when workers were barred from entering the party office, with chants demanding Abure’s removal over allegations of financial misconduct.
Rival factions within the party disagreed over the NLC’s involvement and the party’s leadership.
The Labour Party argued that it is not accountable to the congress, while former NLC President Ayuba Wabba asserted that the party should be accountable to the congress, emphasising its origin as a platform for union members to defend their rights.
“First and foremost, the Labour Party was formed by the NLC, in the realisation of a clear objective in the Constitution of the NLC. Under Article 3 and Item 1, the major objective of the NLC is to promote, defend and advance the economic, political, and social rights and well-being of Nigerian workers and pensioners,” he stated.
“We own the Labour Party; it was formed under the leadership of Pascal Bafyau, as Party for Social Democracy. Under Adams, organs decided to change the name to the Labour Party, and the first chairman was S.O.Z Ejiofor who later handed over to Dan Anyanwu.
“So, the essence of forming the party is to make sure that workers, pensioners, farmers, can be able to have a platform to exercise their rights, which is enshrined in Section 40 of the Constitution. The party was formed by NLC, and registered by NLC. It’s like you built a house, you got a C-of-O, then you rented the apartment, so you must have an interest in how the property is managed.”
