The appointment of an interim chairman for the Labour Party in Gombe State by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has sparked controversy, with factions within the party expressing disapproval.
The Lamidi Apapa faction and the Julius Abure faction have both criticized the move, asserting their own legitimacy and dismissing the NLC’s authority to make such appointments.
The conflict between the NLC and the LP leadership has intensified recently, with the NLC accusing the LP National Chairman, Julius Abure, of running the party’s affairs unilaterally.
In response, the NLC’s political commission endorsed Sani Abdulsalam, the erstwhile Gombe LP Chairman allegedly dismissed by the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee, to oversee the party’s affairs until local government elections are conducted in the state.
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However, both the Apapa faction and the Abure faction have rejected this appointment. Abayomi Arabambi, spokesman for the Apapa faction, emphasized that the NLC lacks the authority to impose individuals on the party, describing them as a pressure group rather than a political entity.
Similarly, Obiora Ifoh, National Publicity Secretary of the LP, stated that the party already had a substantive state chairman in Gombe and was not aware of the NLC’s decision.
Ifoh clarified that Abdulsalam, the purportedly appointed interim chairman, was a former chairman who was ousted for alleged anti-party activities.
He suggested that the NLC’s action was merely a recognition of Abdulsalam and not a legitimate appointment. Despite the conflict, Ifoh expressed the LP’s willingness to resolve the crisis with the NLC amicably.
Overall, the dispute underscores the ongoing power struggle within the Labour Party and highlights the challenges of maintaining unity and coherence in political organizations, especially amidst external interference from labor unions like the NLC.
