The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, is set to hold a crucial meeting with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress on Thursday.
This meeting is part of Obi’s reconciliatory efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis within the party.
This development follows an incident where the LP headquarters in Abuja was invaded by members of the NLC National Transition Committee. This committee, headed by former NLC President Abdulwaheed Omar, was established to take control of the party’s affairs. The move by the committee came after the NLC Political Commission rejected the re-election of Julius Abure as the party’s National Chairman.
On Tuesday, Omar and a group of NLC supporters stormed the national secretariat of the Labour Party in Utako, demanding Abure’s resignation. Their protest disrupted a National Working Committee meeting being presided over by Abure. Peter Obi, who was present at the secretariat, intervened and called for peace between the LP and the NLC.
Addressing the situation, Obi emphasized the importance of reconciliation between Abure and the faction led by Lamidi Apapa, noting that both sides were working together for the greater good of the party.
A senior NLC member, who requested anonymity, confirmed that Obi would be meeting with the NLC leadership on Thursday. “Yes, Obi is meeting with the NLC tomorrow (Thursday) as promised. Although it is a closed-door meeting, I am sure the outcome will be revealed to the media after their deliberation,” the source said.
Yunusa Tanko, Obi’s campaign spokesman, also confirmed the meeting. He explained that it was part of an ongoing reconciliation process. When asked if Abure and his NWC members would be present, Tanko clarified, “No, it is not a joint meeting. For now, he (Obi) is only meeting with all the aggrieved stakeholders one after the other. Since he has had a meeting with the party itself and another with the TUC, the NLC is next. Later on, he may possibly have a joint meeting with everyone in attendance.
“Basically, he is just trying to look at all the challenges in the party and try to find a solution to them.”
