The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has explained the delay in carrying out its planned takeover of Labour Party offices nationwide, saying it is allowing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fully study the Supreme Court’s judgment before proceeding.
The acting Chairman of the NLC Political Commission, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, disclosed this in an interview with The PUNCH on Saturday.
This comes nearly one month after the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, issued a directive on April 9 mobilising unionists to seize control of the 36 state secretariats and the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
The directive followed the apex court’s ruling in a leadership tussle involving the Labour Party, which the NLC insisted had invalidated the current National Working Committee led by Julius Abure.
The planned takeover recalled the March 21 incident where unionists stormed the party’s Abuja headquarters in what the LP described as a “violent invasion” aimed at stealing sensitive documents and funds.
‘INEC Still Studying Supreme Court Ruling’
Providing an update on the delayed action, Ndubuaku stated that the NLC is giving INEC time to respond officially to the court verdict.
“We are patiently waiting for the reaction of INEC. As far as we are concerned, this whole thing is a straightforward matter,” he said.
“This is a judgment from the Supreme Court, which is very clear. No matter what interpretation Abure gives it, we have done the needful.”
He emphasised that the planned action had not been suspended but deferred in the interest of due process.
“This is not just a Nigerian issue. The world is watching. The global community is also interested in how INEC handles this matter.”
“We heard that they are still studying it. We don’t know how many weeks it will take them to study a court judgment. But for the sake of democracy, we are being patient.”
LP Accuses NLC of Blackmail
Reacting earlier to the planned invasion, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, had described the NLC’s planned move as blackmail.
“This is subtle blackmail aimed at making the Abure-led leadership look bad before INEC and security agencies,” Ifoh had said.
He also condemned what he termed “hooliganism and rascality” by some unionists, warning that such actions should not be mistaken for genuine unionism.
Despite the back-and-forth, the NLC insists it is acting in line with the Supreme Court’s pronouncement and will not back down from protecting democratic principles.