Abuja: By Our REPORTER
Published, Wednesday,April 19, 2023
THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF LABOUR PARTY (LP), Tuesday banished its former National Working Committee publicity secretary and sustained the suspension of six members of the National Working Nommittee of the party as the LP highest body met in Asaba, Delta State amidst the political brouhaha that followed two conflicting rulings of two courts of same jurisdiction.
At the meeting which was attended by the presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi, and representatives from the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), LP State Chairmen, elected federal legislatures and INEC, the party banished Comrade Abayomi Arabambi, former National Publicity Secretary and upheld the suspension of six other National Working Committee members (NWC) for anti-party activities.
However, the embattled national Chairman, Julius Abure, was not in attendance.
Those suspended include Lamidi Apapa, Salem Lawal, Favour Reuben, Gbenga Daramola, Samuel Akingbade and Mohammed Akali.
It also considered the report of a disciplinary committee which recommended the suspension of the former National Youth Leader, Anslem Eragbe.
Following this, it suspended him indefinitely and recommended Eragbe to the next convention for expulsion.
This is as it ratified the appointment of Kennedy Ahanotu as the new National Youth Leader, and Obiora Ifoh as Acting National Publicity Secretary.
Other appointments made include Barr. Edun Kehinde as Acting National Legal Adviser, Rotimi Kehinde as Acting Deputy National Secretary, and Anthony Ezeagwu as Acting National Chairman, South South
.
On the conduct of the 2023 elections, the Labour Party noted INEC’s inability to transmit election results in real-time from the polling units, maintaining that it gave room for “massive manipulation of results”.
It equally condemned the use of security agencies by politicians to harass, intimidate voters, buy votes, which largely comprised the outcome of the election.
The communique after the high-powered meeting in Asaba states that Labour Party frowns at the use of thugs and the reintroduction of ballot snatching and writing of fake results at collation centres “as a dangerous trend in our democratic process”.
“The Labour Party notes that this trend in our democracy may slide the country into a civilian dictatorship. NEC in session noted that civilian dictatorship is worse than a military dictatorship.
“NEC in session noted the resilience, and doggedness of our presidential candidate and its resolve to legitimately reclaim its mandate in court. NEC therefore called on the judiciary to do the right thing irrespective of whose ox is gored.
“NEC in session, therefore, appeals to the judiciary to at all times be on the part of the people by promoting acts that enhance democracy, fundamental freedom, rule of law, and the doctrine of separation of powers.
“NEC in session sympathizes with Nigerians who have continued to wallow in leadership-inflicted poverty, hunger, unemployment, insecurity, poor infrastructure and underdevelopment. .
NEC, therefore, reassures Nigerians that the Labour Party government, when in place, will change these narratives”.
The statement further added that “NEC in session considered the expiration of the current National Working Committee that will lapse in June and stated inter alia, it is the considered opinion of NEC and in view of recent events in our party, considering the controversies and bad blood generated by elective convention, conscious of the numerous court cases; Presidential, Governorship, Senatorial, and House of Assemblies, the need to remain focused and reorganize the party, it is most malapropos to convene a National Convention.
“Consequently, NEC extended the tenure of the current NWC for 12 months. which is in line with our party’s constitution in article 13 (2) (B) IX. It states as follows:
“To take decisions on when to hold a regular National Convention of the Party in the event that the Natlonal Convention could not hold for any reason whatsoever when It fell due’
“NEC noted that this is in line with the best practices of the party. In 2012, when the Convention fell due and could not hold as scheduled, National Executive Council (NEC) in session extended the tenure of the NWC and the convention was held in 2014 in session extended the tenure of the NWC and the Convention was held in 2014. In 2018, when the Convention became due and Convention could not be held, the NEC in session which was held in Minna, Niger State extended the tenure of the National Working Committee (NWC) before the Convention was held in 2019.
Finally, the NEC in session reposes implicit confidence in Abure’s led National Working Committee (NWC)”.
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