Obi’s reconciliation falters as two LP gov candidates emerge in Ondo
The crisis within the Labour Party has taken a new turn, following the renewed rift between its leadership and the Nigeria Labour Congress, despite the reconciliatory efforts of the former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi.
This development comes just three months before the governorship election in Ondo, where two candidates are claiming to be the LP flag bearer ahead of the November 16 poll.
While the LP National Working Committee has presented Dr Ayo Olorunfemi as its governorship candidate, the NLC, which has vowed not to recognise the Julius Abure leadership, is insisting on promoting the candidacy of the Secretary General of the pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organisation, Afenifere, Chief Olusola Ebiseni.
Speaking with The PUNCH on Thursday, the Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, reiterated that the NLC has since taken over party affairs following the inauguration of its Transition National Committee.
He said, “The only Labour Party we know now is the one we control. The other one is made up of noisemakers and rabble-rousers. The Ebiseni they are talking about is our candidate. In fact, he is here with me now.
“How many members do they have in LP compared to our number in the Nigeria Labour Congress? Even at both local and national levels, we are there. We are not bothered about them. When we mobilise for the election, they will run away.”
Last week, the contentious candidate, Ebiseni, also shared the same position when he told our reporter that he was the authentic LP candidate for the November 16 governorship election in the state.
“They are the Abure faction of the party and their tenure has expired, so they have no authority to say I’m impersonating. I am the candidate of the party,” he stated.
However, the leadership of LP would not have anything to do with Ebiseni, whom it accused of impersonating the party’s representative.
In an exclusive phone chat with our correspondent on Wednesday, National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh alleged that they are aware of the workers’ union’s attempt to sabotage the party on all fronts.
Obiora, however, noted that if the trend continues, they may be forced to resort to legal action to secure a restraining order to stop the planned impersonations.
He said, “Their (NLC) plan is that anywhere we field a candidate, they will look for somebody to use for the same slot. That is the agenda they have. We are going to approach the court to obtain a restraining order to stop all these impersonations.
“The truth is that the court has already given us a clean slate by recognising the Nnewi Convention as authentic, up to the Appeal Court. It doesn’t matter what anybody feels, doing anything contrary would amount to contempt of court. Anyone having doubts about which candidate will be on the ballot can find out from INEC. It is our name that is there.
“We are not in contest with anybody. I don’t understand how somebody can wake up and declare a candidate from nowhere. How? The party did not field you and your name is not on the INEC portal. It is just that the NLC has decided to continue troubling the Labour Party and we don’t know how long they plan to go on with it. But we know they are definitely working for some people.”
When reminded that the renewed hostility was proof that the proposed reconciliation by its presidential candidate had collapsed, Obiora disagreed.
According to him, reconciliation is a gradual process that does not happen overnight.
“No, Obi’s reconciliation is still ongoing. It is not something done in one day. But I believe at the end of the day, we will reconcile and resolve our differences,” he stated.
Obi’s campaign spokesman, Yunusa Tanko, also shared his optimism on Thursday.
Tanko described the current conflict as one of the teething problems often experienced in the course of resolving any hostile situation.
He said, “The reconciliation is still ongoing, and we are yet to have an all-inclusive meeting. So I guess this particular outburst you saw was an outcome of the old order that has not been fully laid to rest.
“We are hoping that pretty soon, all these issues will be put behind us.”
