IN this conversation with National Record on Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at the Garki-2 national headquarters of the Labour Party, Barrister Julius Abure, the National Chairman of the party, spoke on a number of issues, from his trade union background, his membership of the Labour Party and how he rose from being a founding member to the top hierarchy of the workers’ party; the party’s internal disagreements and litigation as well as the ownership of the party, among many more issues. Below is the full conversation:
National Record (NR): Good afternoon, Mr Chairman; Can you kindly give us a brief background of yourself?
Julius Abure (Abure): Barrister Julius Abure is my name; I attended primary school in Uromi and secondary education at Edo Grammar School from where I proceeded to Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, where I read Law and thereafter proceeded to the Nigeria Law. I’ve also done my master’s degree in Law from the University of Benin. I am currently trying to pursue a doctorate degree, also in Law, in the University of Abuja.
I’ve worked in the Nigerian Postal Service where I became a trade unionist all my years of working.
I was also appointed as a member of the Law Reform Commission of Edo State, having worked for Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in his governorship campaign. When we won through the tribunal, he graciously appointed me as a member of the Law Reform Commission of Edo State.
I’ve practiced law over the years. I’m also into business here and there. So, in brief; this is my background, education and work experience.
NR: Mr Chairman, you only mentioned that you were a trade unionist throughout your working life in the Postal Service. What is your background in trade union work like?
Abure: Like I said, all my life, I’ve been in the union struggle. I first became the vice chairman of the Benin branch of the National Union of Postal and Telecommunication Employees (NUPTE) in 1992, a position I held till 1996 before I became the branch chairman of the union; which I held till 2000, when I was elected as the Edo State Chairman of NUPTE, a position I held for ten years, and by virtue of that, I became a member of the State Executive Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
I participated in all the activities of the Congress including strikes, seminars, Harmattan and Rain schools; we were all involved in them from Edo State. Thereafter in 2008, I became the Acting National President of NUPTE after which I was appointed as a member of the Law Reform Commission of Edo State. So, I’ve been involved in union struggle for years.
Beyond my involvement in struggles in the union, I’ve also participated in the activities of progressive civil society organisations. John Odah will tell you that we were both founding members of Women in Nigeria (WIN) then; a women organisation that had men as women; an organisation that took after the style of the Soviet Union.
So the challenge we’ve had comes more from people who said they are comrades. For example, in 2013, the NLC campaigned for the seating governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, against the Labour Party candidate, MOB, who was running under the platform of the party. Another example was in 2016 in Edo State. We had a Labour Party candidate but the NLC and the labour group worked for an opposition party.
In the struggle to end military rule in Nigeria, I participated actively with people like Beko Ransom-Kuti, Femi Falana, Olisa Agbakoba of CLO, Jaye Gaskia, Obayuwana, Festus Iyayi and a host of other comrades; we were in the trenches together in the fight to enthrone democracy in Nigeria.
The June 12 struggle, I was part and parcel of it; the NADECO struggle, was involved in it. So, beyond the core trade union struggles, we were enmeshed in the overall social struggles for a better society, a Nigeria that is not only progressive and democratic but one that is actually administered in the best ethos of good governance to ensure all round development of our political economy. So by and large, inside and outside, we have been involved in struggles for the liberation of the people of Nigeria to ensure that we all have a better living standard.
NR: This is an enriching background that qualifies you to be called a veteran of labour struggles. But there is a feeling out there, within Nigeria’s political circles as well as the Nigerian labour movement, that not many people know of Barrister Julius Abure. We may be wrong in this judgement, Mr Chairman, but we are curious to know from where you emerged to become the National Chairman of the Labour Party, a party which by our understanding is different from other political parties by its ideological trajectory that is slanted towards socialism?
Abure: Obviously I am a veteran because having been the national president of an industrial union, which is the peak of the trade union leadership; it is the highest office that you can hold as a unionist, and having held that office qualifies me to be a veteran, especially having done so too by holding the highest office of my union at the state level. In fact, I rose from the ranks to the top echelon of my union’s leadership. If you ask Comrade S. O. Z. Ejiofoh, he will tell you; if you ask Comrade John Odah, he will tell you; if you ask Owei Lakemfa, Toro Abba and a host of other comrades, they will be able to speak so much about me to confirm that I am a veteran; not just a veteran but a solid one for that matter.
NR: Where I was going to with that question is that as a veteran of the labour movement that is ideologically bent towards a socialist political system or a mix of socialism, capitalism and liberalism; what appellation can we give you; a socialist or a social democrat?
Abure: Ordinarily, because of the controversy involved in socialism and capitalism theme, I tried to run away from this ideological contest. But simplicita, I am tended towards the socialist side of the divide and reducing it to the layman’s language, it is pure welfare for the people using government resources, government power, to work in the interest of the people by providing welfare packages for the people.
After all, what is government? The purpose of government is to defend the weak in the society; it is to structure and support the weak in the society. That, in essence, is all about socialism; welfare of the people, making life better for the people – using the instrumentality of the state. So in other words, all our struggles over the years had been tailored toward that; after all, what is democracy? Democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people. That is why if you look at the logo of Labour Party, it is a symbol of the unit of the society; father, mother and child. In a way, it simply means that every government policy must enhance and support the welfare of the people; that is all what socialism is about, it contemplates a welfarist state for the people although the modus operandi and the approach towards it may differ. You may agree with me that socialism, and as contemplated by Engels, Lenin and the rest of them, has been so moderated and standardised and has been reduced to the provision of welfare for the people.
Therefore, I’m tended towards that, and the Labour Party that I lead, is also tended towards that. You should note that the Labour Party is a party for social democracy whose principal agenda is welfare for the people. You know, in all the states that we have had the privilege either to produce a governor or a senator or house of assembly members, we’ve always made a difference in terms of provision of welfare for the people…
NR: (cuts in) …Can you please give us an example of this claim?
Abure: In Ondo State, for example, where we had the privilege of having a governor, the records are still there as to the profound welfare that was given to the people. The House of Rep members that we’ve had overtime have also been able to make the difference on the platform of the Labour Party in terms of provision of infrastructure, provision of welfare, provision of social services and the defence of the people.
So, by and large, I am tailored towards socialist democracy, and of course that is what has kept us in the party otherwise, we’ve had the privilege and opportunity to have navigated to other political parties. Like I told you, I worked closely with Comrade Oshiomhole in his campaigns and I was graciously appointed as one of the members of the Law Reform Commission of Edo State. All our comrades who were in that government ended up in APC, people like the late Didi Adodo, Rabi Egunje and others, all ended up in APC, but because I believe in the ideals of the Labour Party, the social democratic principle; I’ve remained here and I rose through the ranks in the Labour Party, and today, by the grace of God, I’m the National Chairman.
But Issa Aremu did! It was all over the place; and as we speak, Comrade Issa Aremu is still a member of the party; a prominent one for that matter; who had grown the Labour Party in Kwara State. In fact, you cannot write the history of Labour Party without mentioning Issa Aremu. Issa Aremu has over the years paid the rent of the party, paid staff in Kwara State, nurtured the party and ran on the platform of the party for governorship in Kwara in 2019. I’m sure it was because of that performance of 2019 that he got his present appointment.
Perhaps, many people may not know too that I was a founding member of the Labour Party in Edo State when the party started as Party for Social Democracy, I was one of those who were founding members of the party and eventually I became State Secretary of Labour Party in Edo.
When the labour group in 2006 decided that Oshiomhole should run under the platform of the party, Didi Adodo was seconded from the labour movement to come and help us in Edo. I graciously stepped down as the State Secretary of the Labour Party and handed over to Didi Adodo and I became Assistant Secretary to him.
When we won in the tribunal in 2008, Comrade Oshiomhole appointed Didi Adodo as Commissioner of Land, Survey and Housing, I was again made the State Secretary, a position I held till 2014 when I became the Deputy National Secretary of the party. And in 2015, when the National Secretary, Kayode Ajulo, resigned, I became the National Secretary of the party. We have worked tirelessly to reposition the party for effective performance, for effective service delivery to Nigerians and her people. When the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Alhaji Abdulkadri Abdulsalam of blessed memory, died; the members of the party unanimously resolved at a NEC meeting held in Edo that I should become the National Chairman of the party after Comrade Maria Lebeke acted as chairman for a year. So this is my journey.
You can see that from the union point of view, I rose through the ranks to the top echelon of unionism. At the level of the party, I also rose through the ranks and now by the grace of God, I am the National Chairman, I’ve also rose to the top echelon of the party. You can see that I’ve been part and parcel of this movement; in fact, I can boldly say that the history of the movement will not be complete if names like ours are not mentioned.
NR: Let’s take a brief look at the Labour Party itself. As you are aware, it has been enmeshed in one crisis or the other over a period of time, if I may say, right from its creation. What do you think is responsible for this?
Abure: Well, I do not agree with you that the party has been enmeshed in crisis. When the party started in 2002, the name was changed in 2004; that was when S. O. Z. Ejiofoh was chairman and later Dan [Iwuanyanwu] as chairman, and even the time of Abdulsalam, we’ve never had internal crisis in the party; we’ve never had any major disagreement in the party; the party has always been stable and that is why in the face of how politics is played in Nigeria; you will agree with me that Nigerian politics is monetised; we’ve been able to produce governors, House of Reps members, and senators from this party. If we were enmeshed in crisis, then we couldn’t have been able to produce governors, produce senators, and produce House of Reps members. Even in 2019 election, when Comrade Ayuba Wabba as NLC President told people not to run under the platform of the party, we still won election here.
We’ve survived deregistration of political parties. This is because of our hard work, we’ve maintained the party; we’ve kept the party alive, and we’re keeping it alive and by the grace of God, the party is going to outlive us and we’ll win governorship; we’ll win the presidency, and we’ll leave a lasting legacy for the people of Nigeria.
The challenges we’ve had in the party is not within the party itself; it is within the labour movement that we’ve had the challenges, because unionists; I don’t know what’s wrong, they don’t use the party, their own platform to run for election…
NR: (Cuts in) …that’s what I was referring to when I said the party is enmeshed in crisis. If the NLC President, who represents one of the trade union centres claiming ownership of the Labour Party, is telling Nigerians not to contest election using the platform of the party or vote for the party, is that not a sign of crisis?
Abure: Well, I won’t call it crisis; it could be as a result of greed; it could be as a result of the fact that he may have been used by other political parties. We know that majority of them are not card-carrying members of the Labour Party. Some of them are card-carrying members of other parties. For instance, Comrade Kaigama [the immediate past President of TUC] contested the primaries of APC in the 2019 general election for governorship of Taraba State and lost. We have a couple of comrades like that who’re not card-carrying members of the party. Even Oshiomhole, when we had that strategic alliance with the AC [Action Congress] then, the agreement was that he was going to come back to build the party, but they never did. We’ve had series of comrades who had contested election and had never thought it wise to use the party to run for election.
So the challenge we’ve had comes more from people who said they are comrades. For example, in 2013, the NLC campaigned for the seating governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, against the Labour Party candidate, MOB, who was running under the platform of the party. Another example was in 2016 in Edo State. We had a Labour Party candidate but the NLC and the labour group worked for an opposition party.
Even when Comrade Issa Aremu was running in Kwara State for governorship in the 2019 general election, the chairman of the Political Commission of NLC printed billboards in support of APC. So, those are the paradoxes that you find in the movement, but of course, people have right to decide which political party they should join, and of course the constitution gives every person that right to feely associate. So, if any person decides to exercise it in favour of APC or PDP, it is good luck to them. But some people too who have confidence in the party have also used it to run for election. For example, Olusegun Mimiko wasn’t a comrade, for instance, but had the confidence to run under the platform of the party and became the governor of Ondo State. He built the party…
NR: [cuts in] …I’m coming towards that direction, Comrade Chairman, my next question is…
Abure: [cuts in] …Let me land; he was here, built the party with us; for those years he was in the party, the party grew in the South West, grew everywhere even without comrades supporting the party. Today, we are running for election in Anambra but comrades are not using it in Anambra but some other people are using the party. So, you could find some people who’re not really comrades by blood or by orientation but found themselves flying the flag of the party in elections in all the states, meanwhile our comrades don’t see the party as…
NR: [Cuts in] …But the General Secretary of NLC, Comrade Emma Ugboaja, contested for House of Reps in the 2019 elections under Labour Party in Abia State…
Abure: Who?
NR: Comrade Emma Ugboaja, the General Secretary of NLC; I think he contested for House of Reps under the Labour Party in Abia State in 2019.
Abure: Not to my knowledge, not under Labour Party. I was then the National Secretary of the party; any forms submitted to INEC must necessarily have my signature. I cannot remember that Ugboaja ran as a candidate under our party.
But Issa Aremu did! It was all over the place; and as we speak, Comrade Issa Aremu is still a member of the party; a prominent one for that matter; who had grown the Labour Party in Kwara State. In fact, you cannot write the history of Labour Party without mentioning Issa Aremu. Issa Aremu has over the years paid the rent of the party, paid staff in Kwara State, nurtured the party and ran on the platform of the party for governorship in Kwara in 2019. I’m sure it was because of that performance of 2019 that he got his present appointment.
Then, the Trade Union Act itself, in section 15, is also clear that you cannot use union funds to fund political activities or political parties. Therefore, by NLC claiming ownership of the Labour Party is neither here nor there; it is against the laws of the land and it is unconstitutional; that is how it is. Ordinarily, I don’t like talking about this aspect of the party but for the fact that you’ve asked the question, I needed to make that very, very clear.
NR: You said Mimiko ran under the Labour Party to win the Ondo governorship even when he was not a known comrade in the sense of not having a pedigree in the labour movement. Because of this type of scenario, some people have described the Labour Party as an all-purpose platform or vehicle for politicians who failed to secure the candidacy of their original parties. As an ideologically-oriented party, do you think this is right?
Abure: If people who ordinarily should identify with the party failed to do so but instead preferred to run on the platform of other parties, then you make use of what you have. It is what is available that you use to attain the goal you want to attain. You use the available to get the unavailable. If comrades who would have used the party are not using it; if those who ought to drive the growth and development of the party have failed to do so, and other people come to do so, will you drive them away? You will obviously not drive them away.
If comrades are not using the party to run, and other politicians come and say they want to run under the platform of the party, will you drive them away? You use what is available to keep the party alive. That is how we have kept the party alive for years. You can see the infrastructure we’ve sustained; you can see the staff we’ve sustained over the years. We’ve survived deregistration of political parties. This is because of our hard work, we’ve maintained the party; we’ve kept the party alive, and we’re keeping it alive and by the grace of God, the party is going to outlive us and we’ll win governorship; we’ll win the presidency, and we’ll leave a lasting legacy for the people of Nigeria.
The reason why Nigeria is still in crisis is because the people have not embraced the Labour Party. The Labour Party is the only party that has the ideology; that has the programme; that has what it takes to deliver Nigeria from insecurity, from hunger, from poverty, from unemployment; name it. The plethora of challenges faced by Nigeria and Nigerians is because they’ve not embraced the right party, and the right party is the Labour Party. By the grace of God, under my leadership, Nigerians will embrace the party, and then, they will be able to use the party to win elections; not just winning elections for the sake of holding on to power but winning election to use it for the betterment of the people; to use it for service delivery; to show to the world that government or power can be used to better and uplift the standard of living.
NR: There has been this lingering disagreement over the ownership of the Labour Party. The question is: who owns the Labour? We ask this question in the context of the fact, which you are aware of, that the NLC has always claimed ownership of the Labour Party by saying that the Certificate of Registration issued by INEC is in its possession. Against this background, Mr Chairman, what is the true status of the party’s ownership?
Abure: Well, the truth of the matter is obvious; it is clear. The constitution of the party is clear; the Nigerian constitution is clear, and the Electoral Act too is clear, that once a political party is registered, it has a life of its own, and therefore can only be regulated by its constitution and the laws of the land.
The Labour Party’s constitution is clear that those who are owners of the party are those who subscribe to its membership. Article 9(2) of the party’s constitution is very clear as to the procedure of ownership – that you must subscribe to the membership of the party; that it is only members of the party who have membership card, who are financially up to date; who participate in the party’s activities that are OWNERS of the party. [His emphasis]
But let me, by way of answering your question, say that the truth is that the NLC cannot stay in Abuja and order all workers to go and join Labour Party and it will automatically translate into swell membership for the party or translate to votes for the party. At best, you can say so at the level of propaganda. When outsiders hear it that NLC is working with the Labour Party, it gives and impression that it is a big deal. But unfortunately, the NLC does not have such control over its members.
Section 80 of the Electoral Act is also clear on ownership – that once a political party is registered, it has A LIFE OF ITS OWN; it is only regulated by the constitution, the Electoral Act, its own constitution and other laws of the land. [His emphasis]
Now, the 1999 constitution, Sections 221, 222 and 223 are clear as to the fact that an association cannot claim ownership of a political party. In fact, all associations, including the NLC are not allowed to contribute to the funds of any political party. But their members, as workers of Nigeria, can be members of the party, they can individually register as members, but the NLC, as an organisation, cannot claim ownership, as it is illegal; it is unconstitutional.
Nigeria is regulated by law; even the Supreme Court is regulated by the law; all authorities in Nigeria must conform to the constitution. Go and read that section 221, 222 and 223; it will be very clear that an association cannot contribute to the funds of a political party. NLC is an association.
Then, the Trade Union Act itself, in section 15, is also clear that you cannot use union funds to fund political activities or political parties. Therefore, by NLC claiming ownership of the Labour Party is neither here nor there; it is against the laws of the land and it is unconstitutional; that is how it is. Ordinarily, I don’t like talking about this aspect of the party but for the fact that you’ve asked the question, I needed to make that very, very clear.
Then on the issue of the certificate; when we had our convention in 2014, the then outgoing chairman, Chief Barrister Dan Iwuanyanwu, was supposed to have handed over the certificate to the newly elected leadership but he said he could not immediately lay his hands on the certificate and as time progressed, when he had issues with the National Chairman, he mischievously took the certificate and handed it over to the NLC. So, that was how the certificate got into the hands of the NLC.
You’ll agree with me that even NLC state chairmen, secretaries, name them; have alliances and agreements with their state governors in most cases. So, usually you find most leaders of unions in the states having alliance and more allegiance to their state governors. That’s why I said some of these things are not what I want to discuss because it will look as if you’re discussing our weaknesses in the open. On the face of it, it will be useful in terms of propaganda but translating it to vote and membership may as well be a joke. I am not saying that synergy with the NLC and TUC will not be in our favour but it is not as people may think it is or not as they assume it needs to be.
But in the political party arrangement, what matters most is the leadership of the party; it does not a matter where the certificate is. The certificate could be anywhere, it could even be missing and may not even be found; that’s one. The second aspect of it is that the certificate of the party is a public document. In law, what is tendered or that is required is a certified true copy of a public document; that’s what is needed in any proceedings in the court of law or in the bank, wherever you want to use the certificate or when it is required; what you need is not the original certificate; it is the certified true copy.
By law, it is INEC that issues the certified true copy; it is only INEC that can say, yes, this is the certificate of the party because a copy of that certificate, the real original is even with INEC; the original certificate is what is in INEC. So, when you go to INEC, it will simply certify it and give it to you and your certified true copy is as good as the original. Let me ask you, since 2015 when the certificate has been with the NLC, what have they used it to achieve? Nothing, absolutely nothing, and they can do nothing with it. It can remain with them for the next 500 years; it’ll be of no use and of no effect. I have a certified true copy which is needed, and that’s what we have and are using at present. So, they may have it but they are only using it for propaganda and they know that.
NR: I would have loved to know why the NLC President kept emphasising the fact that the certificate of registration is with the NLC, but…
Abure: [Cuts in] …Well, anybody can see that Ayuba is used to propaganda. You will note that they were in court recently and he came out, when the court had warned that don’t make trouble, you have brought your matter; go and put the parties on notice, go and inform them, go and serve them…
NR: [Cuts in]…Incidentally, Mr Chairman; that is actually our next question.
Abure: [Cuts in] … Just a moment please; and the judge said, but maintain the status quo, don’t make trouble, because I know that you make trouble. But when they came out of the court, he held a press conference and said the National Working Committee [of the Labour Party] had been set aside. The court order didn’t say so. The court said maintain status quo. What is status quo? Status quo is the current leadership. They filed their case on July 23rd [2021]…
NR: [Cuts in] …Like I said, Mr Chairman, why don’t you wait so that you can respond comprehensively to when I ask the question.
Abure: It’s alright!
NR: Recently, as you said, the Federal High Court in Abuja in a ruling gave some orders, among which there is one that asked parties to “maintain status quo ante bellum.” This particular order has been subjected to varied interpretations. While Comrade Wabba, NLC President, claimed that that order removed you and the National Secretary from office, your leadership of the party has discredited his claim. As a lawyer, can you please explain the courts orders?
Abure: Well, on that day, as usual, the Wabba leadership of NLC went behind us to the Federal High Court and tried to get an order to say that they were restraining us from performing the duties of the Labour Party. The court said no, you can’t ambush them; you can’t bring a prayer to the court without letting the defendants know; that will be unfair to them; it offends the constitution, it offends all the laws of the land; go and serve them within seven days.
The court also made a second pronouncement, and said, this time to us the defendants, to come and show cause why the court should not grant the request of the claimants. What this means is that nothing was granted to them! By the judge saying, let the defendants show cause why I should not grant claimants’ request, by implication, means nothing was granted to them.
The court went ahead and said, with the way you have come trying to ambush these people, I see you as troublemakers, go and maintain status quo ante bellum. What is status quo ante bellum? It means that the state of affairs as at when you submitted your matter for adjudication; the state of affairs as at when you filed your matter. They filed their matter in July [2021] and the only executive in place in July was my National Working Committee.
The court also talked about the ‘res’; it said maintain status quo ante bellum and the res will be protected; who is the res as at the time? Abure-led National Working Committee was the only National Working Committee, and so we’re the res. The court realised that it must protect us from Ayuba Wabba, the President of NLC; that was why the court made that pronouncement, saying, with this your agility, with this your overzealousness, with this your inordinate ambition to illegally take over the party, go and maintain status quo since you have come here, since you have decided to come to court, you must follow the law; don’t take laws into your hands; go and maintain status quo.
As is usual with him, recklessness; he came out of the court and said the Abure-led Working Committee had been set aside. I am sure by now he would be regretting ever making such a statement because the whole world has seen their hollowness; that they are empty because the same person will come out to make that type of pronouncement shortly after the court had said, don’t make trouble only for him to come out and make those verbose claims.
NR: We’ll not want to go beyond the controversy around the interpretation to the merit or otherwise of the case because of subjudice. We have threaded on the ruling and that should do for now. Going forward, there is another issue related to litigations in the Labour Party. You may recall that Comrade Wabba made reference to a consent judgement given in 2018 being a precursor to the recent ruling; and in fact it was on the basis of that consent judgement that he interpreted the ruling to mean your removal. What exactly is the content of that consent judgement; and why has it been difficult to abide by the terms of the consent judgement to overcome the crisis in the party?
Abure: We had complied fully with that consent judgement and in 2019, we had our convention. The former National Chairman signed that consent judgement.
NR: What were the terms of the consent judgement?
Abure: It was an agreement between the National Chairman and them (NLC) that we were going to have an all-inclusive convention in line with the party’s constitution…
NR: [Cuts in] …That was under the leadership of the late Abdulsalam?
Abure: Yes! The intention then was that they were all going to register as members of the party. The understanding then was that NLC, as an organisation, cannot become a member of the party but their members as workers can; individually, they can; and therefore, the chairman said there was nothing wrong; that if they want to participate in the party’s activities, provided it is in line with the party’s constitution, we’ll not quarrel with it.
The understanding was that NLC and Co were going to canvass and make their members to register in their wards and become members of the party in their wards such that when ward congresses come, they will participate and contest election; then at the local government, they will also participate; at the state level, they will participate, and then at the national level, when the convention comes, they will also participate.
That is why the consent judgement makes it clear that it MUST BE IN LINE WITH THE PARTY’S CONSTITUTION [his emphasis]. Therefore, we told NLC, let your members go and register; we even wrote to them a letter that they should fill the vacant positions in the party; we wrote to them in 2018; there is a copy of that letter. Those statutory positions they have, they were supposed to send in their representatives to fill them, but we never got any response from them. We expected that in view of the consent judgement, they would have gotten all their members to register as members of the party; and a lot of them did register at the ward level, and so we went on, had our congresses and then climaxed in 2019 when we had our national convention. So, we had complied fully with that judgement; we have not quarrelled with that.
What I’m saying in essence is that the spread of the NLC across the country does not and cannot automatically translate to membership or votes. What is even more crucial these days is that Nigerians look at the credibility of the national leadership of labour. That is another area I wouldn’t have wanted to talk about but since you have asked me I will speak on it. The labour movement that Comrade Oshiomhole led, is it the same labour movement that we have today? Can you compare the popularity of Oshiomhole then with the leadership in the Congress today?
NR: The Labour Party, by its composition as a workers’ party, especially with the NLC and TUC claiming ‘ownership,’ looks like a formidable, and actually ought to be a formidable political platform with supposed strong presence up to the local government level, if the structures of the NLC and TUC as well as their affiliates are taken into context. Why is it impossible for the party to take advantage of the trade union strength and spread to capture power at all tiers of government? As a foundation member of the party, I’m sure you are in a position to understand the dynamics impeding the party from achieving its potentials?
Abure: Yes, I do know but it is just that ordinarily, I don’t like talking publicly about our weaknesses.
But let me, by way of answering your question, say that the truth is that the NLC cannot stay in Abuja and order all workers to go and join Labour Party and it will automatically translate into swell membership for the party or translate to votes for the party. At best, you can say so at the level of propaganda. When outsiders hear it that NLC is working with the Labour Party, it gives and impression that it is a big deal. But unfortunately, the NLC does not have such control over its members.
You’ll agree with me that even NLC state chairmen, secretaries, name them; have alliances and agreements with their state governors in most cases. So, usually you find most leaders of unions in the states having alliance and more allegiance to their state governors. That’s why I said some of these things are not what I want to discuss because it will look as if you’re discussing our weaknesses in the open. On the face of it, it will be useful in terms of propaganda but translating it to vote and membership may as well be a joke. I am not saying that synergy with the NLC and TUC will not be in our favour but it is not as people may think it is or not as they assume it needs to be.
Most members of National Union of Road Transport Workers are PDP and APC members; they tend to follow the government of the day; and again this is another area I wouldn’t have wanted to talk about. If I may ask, is the National Headquarters of NLC funding State Councils of NLC? In most cases, you find NLC State Councils’ leadership running to their state governors for one funding or the other, and therefore the President of NLC cannot sit in Abuja and direct, for instance, NLC in Edo State to vote for Labour Party or direct its State Council members to join the Labour Party as members.
What I’m saying in essence is that the spread of the NLC across the country does not and cannot automatically translate to membership or votes. What is even more crucial these days is that Nigerians look at the credibility of the national leadership of labour. That is another area I wouldn’t have wanted to talk about but since you have asked me I will speak on it. The labour movement that Comrade Oshiomhole led, is it the same labour movement that we have today? Can you compare the popularity of Oshiomhole then with the leadership in the Congress today?
So, people look at the credibility, the charisma, the capacity, the commitment and the integrity of the leadership. Comrades in the movement may not be openly critical but it is not that they are stupid; they know quite well; if you interact with them you will know their feelings. If you are President of NLC without the required credibility and charisma, can you ask workers to go to Labour Party and they will go? Can Ayuba Wabba leave as President of NLC and contest for governorship of Borno State and win as Oshiomhole did in Edo State?
That is why I said some of these areas are areas I wouldn’t want to talk about because it is like I would be exposing my own movement but sadly enough, this is the reality on the ground. It is not about whether NLC is on the ground in every state or local government area; it is about the personality, about the charisma, about the dignity, about the integrity, and so on and so forth of the leadership driving the NLC as a working class and mass conscious organisation.
Can you compare the leadership of NLC today with the leadership of Pa Imoudu, Sunmonu, Chiroma and Oshiomhole? Let us be frank and call spade a spade but nothing else! I would repeat; it’s not about NLC calling people to join the Labour Party and they will now move; for where? Does it work that way? It can never work that way!
I’m aware that some of them are not card-carrying members of the Labour Party; they are card-carrying members of other political parties. I challenge them, let them go to Borno, go to Katsina, pick form and come out and run for councillorship and see if they will win. They will not, because they have no such charisma!
NR: Finally, Mr Chairman, taken into perspective the challenges it is facing, what, in your view, is the future of the Labour Party?
Abure: Well, I’ve answered that though I will restate it again. The Labour Party has a very bright future under my leadership. It is my intention to grow the party to make it the Number One opposition party in Nigeria that will canvass alternative policies for governance in the country other than what we now experience; and which will work hard for the people. We’ll mobilise Nigerians to be with the party; we’ll show Nigerians that we’re trusted; that we’re dependable and that we’ll not betray them.
So I can assure you that in a short while, we’ll be able to mobilise Nigerians to ensure that Labour Party will be in the lips of all Nigerians. We have our strategy to that effect and it will be inappropriate for me to put it in the media at this point as we are already working on this. In the next few months, Nigerians will realise that Labour Party will be the Party to beat.
In doing this, we’ll not compromise our ideology; we’ll not compromise our programme; we’ll not go into coalition with anybody; we shall face the 2023 election squarely, source for credible Nigerians as candidates with dignity, with integrity, with innovative ideas and the capacity that can lead Nigeria and reposition it for effective service delivery. The party will grow irrespective of the challenges we may be facing from whomever; it will be stronger. People are registering as members all over the country as we talk.
Since I came on board, the membership registration process that is ongoing has skyrocketed, and I use this opportunity to call on all Nigerian workers that the party is for them, it is for the poor working people – artisans, market men and women, and so on. They should go to their respective wards, get registered and participate in party activities so that we can jointly rescue Nigeria from the current state of affairs that we have found ourselves. I need to emphasise that we intend to capture power not only for the purpose of capturing power; we’ll capture power with the intention of using it for the benefit of Nigerians.
NR: I had said the last question was the final one but in view of what you said in your response, I need you to further clarify when you said the Labour Party will not go into coalition with any other party. Don’t you think that the Labour Party and other parties that share similar or contiguous ideologies or governance principles can join forces so as to upstage established parties like the APC and PDP who have been in power since 1999? I asked this question bearing in mind the PRP which, as you know, is a party that is basically anchored on socialist ideology with its leading lights being well-known ideologues of the working class, such as Aminu Kano and Balarabe Musa, both of blessed memory, and in the current dispensation, Prof Attahiru Jega. Will the Labour Party under your leadership not be disposed towards having an understanding to capture power?
Abure: Well, when we get to that bridge, we’ll be able to cross it. I think we’ll be able to look at it critically, observe it; after all, most of these decisions are not cast on stone.
Why I had said that is that coalition had not favoured us in the past; that’s why we had come to this reality that we’re not going to enter into any coalition any more. Like I said, it is not cast on stone; the reality on the ground, and the situation and the situation at every point in time, will also determine what we’ll do. We can, of course, review our decision; we can look at it again more critically and make a decision that will be in the best interest of the party. Any decision that will not be in the best interest of the party, we will jettison but any decision that will be in the best interest of the party and can promote it to a higher level, we’ll be ready to adopt it.
