By Adeyemi Adeleye
The National Consultative Front (NCFront) has called for immediate resolution of the crisis involving the leadership of Labour Party (LP) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
NCFront, a caucus in the Labour Party, made the call in a statement issued by Mr Promise Adewusi, its Director of Administration, on Wednesday in Lagos.
NCFront, led by Prof. Pat Utomi, a political economist , said it had followed, with keen interest, the controversies around the proposed LP National Convention scheduled to hold on March 27 in Abia,and urged both NLC and LP to resolve the issue.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the leadership of NLC stormed the national secretariat of the party in Abuja on Wednesday to call for the postponement of the party’s national convention.
The NLC, which shut the party national secretariat,also demanded the sack of the National Chairman of the party, Mr Julius Abure, over alleged financial rascality and contempt for the leadership of LP.
“There is no gainsaying that the Labour Party has emerged, too suddenly, as the beautiful bride of Nigerian politics, a major success, which also has its drawbacks, part of which is the desire of its adversaries to see it demobilised and its enviable strides halted.
“This must not be allowed to happen as history will not spare all those found culpable as tools, if the party is made to play into the hands of its enemies and naysayers.
“The only way to shame those who would rather see the Labour Party crumble in this circumstance, is for contending forces to sheathe their swords.
“We must allow good reason to prevail in the party, especially by putting an immediate hold on the proposed National convention to allow for a profound process of stakeholders’ consultations”,the caucus said.
It said the consultations must be allowed to blossom towards the creation of a broad-based National Convention Committee, to organise an all- inclusive convention and congresses for the party.
The NCFront said that this was capable of birthing a respectable National Working Committee that would draw its legitimacy from the will and consensus of the party’s membership as envisioned by the party’s constitution.
“The NCFront therefore adds its voice to the call of all well meaning stakeholders and members of Labour Party to call for the postponement of the proposed National Convention to allow for more consultations and the cooling of nerves.
“This is certainly not a time for personality contests or altercations among the various caucuses and forces in the party.
“It’s a time for reasoned, strategic consultations that will ensure inclusivity in the affairs of the Labour Party for future strength and triumph,” it said.
NCFront also congratulated all allies, and stakeholders of the Labour Party under the leadership of Abure, “for the epochal feat achieved by the Party in the 2023 elections(NAN)
