Labour Party Is Not Answerable To NLC – Ifoh

The Labour Party (LP) has declared that it is not the property of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

The National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, who made the declaration, clarified that the NLC only helped in founding the Labour Party.

According to him, it is even against the law for the leadership of the NLC to be involved in politics as their constitutional mandate is strictly workers’ welfare.

Naijaonpoint reports Ifoh made the submission in an interview with the Punch, published on Thursday, when he was asked about the frosty relationship between the party and the NLC.

He argued that the party is owned by Nigerians, and remains answerable to Nigerians, not to the NLC. Ifoh added that the role of the NLC political commission does not include taking over any political party.

The Labour Party spokesperson added that the law has interpreted the relationship between them and the NLC and it is believed they have recognized their boundaries.

“Let us make this issue very clear. It has always been our position and it has never changed. The NLC as a body helped in founding the Labour Party. That is where their powers end, according to the rules guiding political parties in Nigeria. This is because political parties are owned by Nigerians and not the personal possession of any private body. A political party is answerable to Nigeria and not a group of persons or a union. So the Labour Party is not answerable to the NLC. The laws are there for all to see. The constitution is also very clear about that. If they choose to play a major role in the party, they should do the right thing by first asking their members to register.

“As I told you earlier, there is an ongoing membership registration. They can take the opportunity to register overwhelmingly and own the party from the ward. If they fail to do that, I don’t know who they will blame. That has been the problem. The constitution, however, stated that no organisation should own another organisation. So the Labour Party is a corporate body that can sue or be sued just like the NLC. It is even against the law for the leadership of NLC to involve themselves in politics because as a union for workers’ welfare, they are not even meant to be active in politics. As individuals, they can. But as a body, they are forbidden by the law. The role of the NLC political commission has also been clearly stated. It is about your membership not seeking to take over the control of a political party.

“As responsible leaders of the Labour Party, we decided not to fight back. We chose not to go into the streets in the same manner they did when they came to picket the party a few years back. We decided to stick to the proposition of the law and it has been interpreted. I think they have recognized their boundaries and rested,” he said.