The Labour Party is one of the country’s major opposition parties. In the last general election, the party pulled a surprise when against all odds and permutations, it came third in the Presidential election. The party also a number of National Assembly seats. The euphoria that greeted its performance seems to be ebbing away with the party currently embroiled in crisis. In this interview with INIOBONG IWOK, the Deputy National Chairman, Ayo Olorunfemi, spoke about the crisis plaguing the LP and the way forward amid the recent court judgment recognising Julius Abure as the national chairman. Excerpts:
How do you react to the decision of the court recognising your national executive committee as the authentic organ of the party?
It is justice served to us. It is also a clear case of justice being done in an unbiased manner by the Federal High Court. Once again, I can say that the judiciary, as seen in this case, has demonstrated that it is in-deed the last hope of the common man. You will also agree with me that the powerful forces that came against the party could not succeed because they are not operating under the cover of the law. These elements are operating outside of the party’s constitution and so the judiciary has taken due notice of their activities and has gone ahead to award recognition to the legitimate national executive committee and national working committee of the party. We thank God that at last, we have been able to get justice.
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Do you harbour any regrets that problems within the party are usually settled in courts?
For us, we know that for a party that is emerging with this kind of force in the political firmament, that stands as the possible hope for the Nigerian people due to mis-governance, will face many challenges and we know that in dealing with challenges, it’s either we solve them through consensus building or we solve them through the ambit of the law. We do not have any reason to entertain any form of regrets that we have to resolve our disputes at the law court. As you know, the court is set up for human beings who have one form of dispute or the other to resolve whatever dispute they have. It’s unfortunate that some of our people will want to go to the extreme, outside of the law. I mean these people will always like to have their way at all times. It was expected because, as I said, a party that is emerging with the kind of strength that it is coming out with should not expect that all will be well. The good thing is that we are prepared as always to face those challenges squarely, knowing full well that we are preparing for such challenges. I can say that we are fully ready to face such in future.
The current imbroglio surprised many watchers considering where the problem within was coming from. This is because, the national executive of the party was so much friendly with its presidential candidate in 2023 elections, Peter Obi and the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti. Are you in anyway surprised that opposition was coming from their end?
We are surprised like any other Nigerian as you have said that such an opposition can come from them. We are not also too surprised because they are human beings and as human beings you are subjected to or exposed to different form of opinions and influences. So, we believe that something went wrong. At a point, some forces seem to have taken over their minds. We also recognise that some of these forces that we are talking about were also people that we assisted one way or the other in the past. I mean those who could not imagine that they would ever become senators or anything politically. These were the people the party gave a landing space to become anything politically and because of the grace, they won but they now felt that they were bigger than the party. It is interesting to know that those who are fighting us are people who have never put down one naira in the party. Despite this, they want to be leaders of the party. Unfortunately for them, you don’t become leader of the party by mere words of mouth or grandstanding. You must display element of responsibility towards the party as a committed member. These people don’t want to do that but they are already feeling threatened that they won’t have it as easy as they did the other time in 2027. They were able to get our presidential candidate, Obi and Governor Alex Otti, to join them in their sinister plot. They believe that with these two gentlemen with them, they will be able to subjugate the National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee of the party, now they know better. They have now realised that we too have the required force. They ought to have known that such a possibility would have been difficult for them to accomplish for a political party that had branches and membership across the country. They recruited non-members of the party from the PDP to take over the party. This is a dream that can’t come to pass.
With this judicial victory, how well will the national leadership work to bring these elements on board so that the party will be in sync ahead of the 2027 polls?
The National Chairman of the party recently released a statement along that line, saying this is a new era that needs some form of restitution and reconciliation, and I can say that we are willing and ready for such. We are willing to accommodate and integrate them back to the party. We are not sending any of them away but we as members should just learn to abide by the rules and the constitution of the party. We are looking forward to their return. We are peace loving people but what we did for them in the past, we can still do. For us, the more the merrier and we cannot afford to push anyone away. We may accommodate you when you feel you can wantonly break or flout the rules and constitution of the party. We will accommodate you when you decide to abide by the rules and constitution of the party. We realise that the constitution might not be perfect enough but if we decide to amend the constitution, we will all collectively do that together.
I don’t know but you may not be far from the truth. We know the calculation that they are making towards 2027 but they feel that destroying the party structure or the leadership is what will give them what they want. Well, I wish them what they wish for themselves. All I know is that their permutation won’t work. Whatever calculation that you are making, whatever you are scheming towards 2027 and you want the Labour Party to be part of it, then the leadership of the party must be carried along and not those that they are dealing with now. The people that they are working with are also from the PDP. Why not just return to the PDP and continue to do what they are doing. You can’t just carry us like that, it’s not that easy. We all have seen what state capture has done to Nigeria. State capture cannot solve our problem. What can solve our problem is, coming together based on shared ideology by looking at the blueprint. What I mean, is governance blueprints of the various political parties coming together, harmonising and putting them together and running to the Nigerian people as a manifesto to get their mandate and when that is achieved, the new platform will now know what to do with the responsibilities attached to power. Personally, I don’t and won’t support any move that tilts towards state capture which has never done us any good. For us to come together, there has to be deliberate coming together of people based on their ideology and world view, their governance policy and the likes.
Are you suggesting the willingness of the LP to collaborate with the PDP or any other opposition party?
We will be willing to work with other political parties based on ideo- logical compatibility in the social democratic process. Socialism and above all productivity and so, we are willing to cooperate and work with other opposition political parties to rescue the country from this quagmire and render quality leadership to the people of Nigeria. We are looking at a situation that will enthrone quality leadership that will take the country out of the woods. I believe that the Labour Party is ready for such in the build up to the 2027 election.
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