Rebuilding Imo Labour Party for optimal performance — By Chigozie Opara
4 min read
Labour Party
Since 2002 Labour Party made entry into the political landscape of Nigeria and it’s participation in the country’s electoral contest, the party like other non-establishment political parties had struggled, and still struggling to survive the murky waters of Nigeria politics, the unpredictable and fluid electoral system and the domination, influence and interference of establishment political parties in it’s internal affairs with attendant destabilization and instigation of crisis using external and internal paid agents.
Regardless of the threats and challenges the party faced, Labour Party has made marginal impressions in it’s electoral outings and have won seats in both seasoned and off-seasoned elections the best of which was it’s clinching of Ondo Governorship in 2009 under the governorship of Dr Olusegun Mimiko.
The exit of Dr Olusegun Mimiko from Labour Party did only jolt the party, it forced the party to return to it’s formative stage- rebuilding and resuscitating national and sub-national structures as well as making impacts in successive elections.
Today, what was hitherto seen as an evolving and structureless political party with attributive tendencies of last minute capitulations, feathering the nest of whoever needs it’s political validation, most often, hobnobbing and negotiating relevance with other political parties, has now turned the beautiful bride coveted by those who seek political paradise.
Labour Party has not only emerged as the prophetic 3rd Force long yearned for in Nigeria politics, it has assumed the bastion of the political emancipation of Nigeria as most Nigerians who are not members of the APC and the PDP by default are members, volunteers and sympathizers of the Labour Party, investing their services, support, resources and goodwill at zero cost.
The acceptance, followership, strong support base and rousing euphoria Labour Party enjoys in Nigeria today did not come without the commitments and efforts of the leadership of the National Working Committee of the party.
Labour Party has seen Chairmen and National Working Committees, some of which evidently took delights in horse trading the future of the party with personal selfish interest. A time was when a former Chairman of the party was accused of working for the party in government against Labour Party an accusation which later became a reality with his appointment as a member of opposition party Presidential Campaign Council.
The grandstanding, character inconsistencies and double faced leadership which formerly hallmarked different levels of Labour Party’s working committees is now gradually been nipped in the bud, all thanks to the Bar. Julius Abure led National Working Committee.
While it is undisputed that the entrance of Peter Obi and the Obidient family into Labour Party was a new firmament that brightened the image of the party, without equivocation, it is also in the annals of Labour Party that the Bar Julius Abure led National Working Committee remains the best the party had ever had since it’s inception.
Labour Party’s game was not only upped by the Julius Abure led National Working Committee, 2023 marks a new beginning for the party and proudly noted as the best electoral outing wherein it defeated dominant political parties in their strongholds against all odds.
Now that the presidential election which was Labour Party’s center of attraction was over, and sub-national elections gearing up, political merchantilism, bazaar endorsements, mortgaging and betrayal of party’s interest for pecuniary gains has began to rear it’s ugly head especially among State Working Committee members.
It has become very imperative that the National Working Committee acted fast to save the party from further embarrassment of transactional officers of the party
From River State, to Oyo, to Nasarawa, the State Working Committees of the Party in the respective states have began to sing in discordant tunes, jettisoning the project and manifesto of Labour Party, while at the same time insulting the sensibilities of the mass followers of the party by openly endorsing candidates of other opposition parties.
Against the above backdrop, here is to commend the National Working Committee of the Labour Party for beaming it’s searchlight on the former Imo State Working Committee of the party who from reliable intelligence was next in line to thread on the inglorious paths of Rivers, Oyo and Nasarawa.
The obvious lack of confidence and evident mis-steps of the former Imo LP State Working Committee was too grievous to overlook. It was indeed a good omen and a step in the right direction that the highly priced former Imo LP SWC was not allowed to infest LP with heavy baggage of insincerity and mistrust especially now the LP is touted to replace the unpopular government in Imo State.
It would have been too dangerous and smacks of carelessness of the NWC to have waited until the Chief Onyekwere led Imo LP State Working Committee did irreparable damage to the party before acting.
It is the wishes of majority of Imo Labour Party faithfuls that a resounding vote of confidence be passed on the National Working Committee for their alertness and responsiveness in rescuing the party from the clutches of political hyenas and jackals whose interests among others is to feast on the fortunes of the party in Imo.
This is time for all genuine members of Imo Labour Party to prove their loyalty to the party by according the newly constituted Caretaker Committee the necessary support to reposition the party within the stipulated timeline.
