NLC TUC to decide future of LabourParty

The NLC president,
Abdulwaheed Omar, said on
Thursday that the labour
movement was the authentic owner
of the Labour Party which had
recently suffered several defections
by its top notchers.
Omar said this after a meeting of
the party's stakeholders,
including the NLC, Trade Union
Congress and other civil society
partners in Abuja.
Omar told newsmen that "we have
been watching with very keen
interest the activities of the Labour
Party in the recent time and we
are concerned with the fixing of
date, supervision and hosting of the
party's convention''.
The National Executive Council
(NEC) of the party fixed Oct. 4
for its National Convention in Akure
but the date was later shifted to
Oct. 11.
Also read: NLC, TUC to commence
indefinite strike in Benue
Confusion, however, set in over the
defection of the only Governor of
the party, Olusegun Mimiko to
PDP.
"You recall that presently, the only
governor of the party, Gov.
Mimiko, defected to the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) with all
the members of the executive and
the state members of assembly and
the party machinery.
"This is a major concern to us that
a governor who had already
defected to another party is now
the one who is sponsoring and
hosting an independent party like
Labour Party.
"It is that concern that made us to
call for this meeting of the
stakeholders of the party with the
view of making sure that we call
for the immediate posponment of
the Akure convention.''
According to him, a new date and
venue will be fixed, to allow the
party to hold its convention
independent of another external
force.
"I am calling on all the concerned
people that are set to attend the
convention on Oct. 11 to disregard
the convention and return as a new
date and venue would be
announced.
"Labour Party in Nigeria is
expected to be a very strong and
vibrant party that would serve the
interest of the workers in the
country.''
He said the party was very unique
and the only one that had
statutory stakeholders in the
country.
He said that the presidents of NLC
and TUC were executive
members of the party and two
others representing the workers in
the country.

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