LP fumes as NLC appoints interim chairman for Gombe

The Lamidi Apapa faction of the Labour Party has faulted the appointment of an interim chairman of the party in Gombe State by the Nigeria Labour Congress.

The faction of the party frowned on the development and labelled it unacceptable.

Also, the Julius Abure faction disclosed that it was not aware of the development, adding that it already had a substantive state chairman in Gombe.

There has been a conflict between the NLC and the LP leadership recently, with the crisis escalating to the point where the NLC accused the LP National Chairman, Julius Abure, of running the affairs of the party as a sole administrator.

The NLC political commission, through its National Secretary, Chris Uyot, took charge and endorsed the erstwhile Gombe LP Chairman, Sani Abdulsalam, who was allegedly dismissed by the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee for anti-party activities.

Uyot announced that Abdulsalam would oversee the affairs of the party, pending the conduct of local government elections in the state.

A copy of the letter was forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission, Department of State Services, Gombe State Police Command and the Secretary to the Gombe State Government.

The letter partly read, “To whom it may concern. We bring you fraternal greetings from the NLC political commission. We write to communicate the appointment of Alhaji Sani Abdulsalam as interim Chairman of LP in Gombe.

“His appointment is for the period up till the conduct of local government elections in Gombe State. Thereafter, a more substantive state transition committee of the Labour Party in Gombe State will be constituted.

“While we look forward to your cooperation, please accept the renewed assurance of our highest esteem.”

But in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday, the spokesman for the Apapa faction, Abayomi Arabambi, disowned the arrangement.

Arabambi said the NLC had no power to impose anybody on the party.

He said, “The NLC political commission is not a party. We intend to take very drastic constitutional action against them.

“Already, we have warned them not to disobey the constitution of our party. They are merely a pressure group.

“Furthermore, it is rather unfortunate that while some well-meaning members of the party are striving and making attempts to steer the ship of the nation on the path of growth and genuine development towards the repositioning of our party for victory in 2027, the NLC and its political commission are determined to destroy, tear down and demolish the party on the quest for personal aggrandisement.”

The National Publicity Secretary of the LP, Obiora Ifoh, also shared a similar view.

While stating that LP already had a substantive state chairman in Gombe, Ifoh disclosed that the Abure-led NWC was not aware of the recent development.

According to him, Abdulsalam was a former state chairman, who was ousted for alleged anti-party activities.

“We are unaware of that development because the Labour Party has its leadership in Gombe State.

“We have LP chairmen in all the 36 states and the FCT.  In Gombe, we already have a chairman who INEC is working with.

“Anybody can come out to claim he appoints somebody. Just like INEC, we are not aware of it.”

He said the so-called appointment of Abdulsalam was mere recognition and not an appointment.

“The so-called appointed person, Abdulsalam, was a former chairman disengaged by LP for anti-party activities.

“A new leadership was elected into office after his exit. But because of the conflict we had with the NLC, the same man went around to congress and they recognised him.

“However, I think it is a mere recognition and not an appointment in the true sense.

“But we are not interested in joining issues with anybody in the media. For now, we are gradually working towards resolving the crisis between LP and NLC.”