In a bold move signaling escalating tensions within the Labour Party, President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has instructed union leaders across the country to mobilise members for the takeover of all 36 state offices and the national secretariat of the party.
The directive was issued via an internal memo circulated in Abuja on Tuesday and comes on the heels of a Supreme Court ruling last Friday, which overturned a lower court decision seen as favourable to the current Labour Party leadership under Julius Abure.
This latest call mirrors a dramatic episode on March 21, 2024, when aggrieved unionists stormed the party’s headquarters in Abuja, an act the party’s National Working Committee later described as a calculated attempt to steal sensitive documents and funds.
However, Ajaero has defended the NLC’s actions, maintaining that the union will not stand by while the court’s ruling is disregarded.
He accused Abure and his associates of defying the apex court and clinging to power illegitimately. “We warned him over a year ago that Nigerian workers and true members of the Labour Party will always reclaim what is rightfully theirs, no matter how long it takes,” Ajaero stated.
In the memo, the NLC president called on Nigerian workers, Labour Party members, and democracy advocates to prepare for a peaceful reoccupation of all Labour Party offices nationwide. He emphasized that the NLC’s Political Commission, along with other stakeholders, would issue further instructions to guide the nationwide mobilisation.
Ajaero also appealed to the country’s security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services, urging them to support and enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling. “We expect them to uphold the rule of law. Any failure to do so would tarnish the country’s democratic image,” he warned.
He expressed disbelief that Abure and his loyalists still parade themselves as national officers of the party, despite the clear legal pronouncement. To address the leadership crisis, Ajaero proposed that remaining members of the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee appoint an interim leadership to organise an inclusive national convention. This, he said, should align with the party’s constitution and the recent consent judgment.
The NLC president concluded by calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to honour its stated commitment to upholding judicial decisions. He demanded the immediate removal of Julius Abure and his National Working Committee from INEC’s official portal in compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“This is a decisive moment for our democracy,” Ajaero said. “Nigerian workers will not allow impunity and lawlessness to thrive within the structures that bear their name.”
© Ripples Nigeria
