The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Abdulwaheed Omar, said on Thursdaythat 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: “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 of the party fixed October 4 for its National Convention in Akure, Ondo State, but the date was later shifted to October 11.
Confusion, however, set in over the defection of the only Governor of the party, Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, to the Peoples Democratic Party.
Omar said on Thursday: “You recall that presently, the only governor of the party, Governor Mimiko, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party 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 postponement of the Akure convention.”
According to Omar, a new date and venue will be fixed to allow the party to hold its convention independent of another external force.
He said: “I am calling on all the concerned people that are set to attend the convention on October 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.”
Omar 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.