Julius Abure, National chairman of the Labour Party (LP), says money meant for the payment of workers’ salaries went missing, when the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) picketed its secretariat.

On Wednesday, members of the NLC picketed the secretariat of the LP in Abuja and demanded the postponement of the party’s national convention scheduled for March 27.

The NLC also called for the resignation of Abure as national chair of the LP.

The NLC accused Abure of “financial rascality and contempt for the leadership of NLC”, and of “unilaterally trying to hold a national convention in contravention of the constitution of the party”.

Reacting to the invasion in a statement issued by Obiora Ifoh, LP national publicity secretary, Abure described the NLC picketing as “a show of shame”.

“Where they besieged the office, broke the fence, destroyed the gates, unlawfully took possession of the secretariat and destroyed properties worth millions of naira,” the statement reads.

“Properties stolen, including monies meant for the payment of salaries and other official purposes. This is unfortunate.

“I must state today that the leadership of NLC under Joe Ajaero is on the part of destroying the successes we have recorded in the 2023 general election.

“I had expected that as a responsible trade union centre, a responsible labour leader; he should have teamed up with Labour Party to see how we can team up together to make the country better.

“Unfortunately and ironically too, the NLC is the one that is on the path of war against LP.

“I must state clearly that Ajaero as NLC President has not been able to organise a successful strike action.

“Not even a single protest or even picketing government establishment in order to bring government to accede to the numerous requests of workers.

“As we speak, there are unfair labour practices meted out to workers by several organisations in the country. I have not seen Joe Ajaero go to such organisations to picket them.”

Meanwhile, the LP chair said the NLC cannot claim ownership of the party, adding that the issue about holding a secret convention is untrue.

“We are not the employers of NLC and they don’t have the legitimate reason to picket our office,” he added.

“We have no trade union dispute with NLC, there is no notice issued to us that we have a trade union dispute with NLC. This is clearly an abuse of office and abuse of the laws of the land.

“Let me also state here that the propaganda they have been carrying around that we are planning a secret convention is totally false.

“The NEC met April 2023 in Asaba and granted the permission that the convention must hold in one year. We started planning for the convention since then.

“We communicated to INEC as requested by the law. We have also informed all the stakeholders including NLC. I have discussed the issue with Ajaero on several occasions.

“The NLC on its own wrote to INEC on several occasions on the need to hold the convention.

“We are surprised that the same NLC is the one that is asking that convention should not hold again.

“He has ulterior motives and we will not allow him to hijack the party.”