Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), is set to meet with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday in an effort to reconcile and resolve the crisis within the party.
This move follows recent turmoil, including the invasion of the LP headquarters in Abuja by members of the NLC National Transition Committee led by former NLC President Abdulwaheed Omar. The committee was established by the NLC Political Commission to reorganize the party following disagreements over the re-election of Julius Abure as LP’s National Chairman.
During a protest at the LP secretariat in Utako, Omar and his supporters demanded Abure’s resignation, disrupting a meeting of the LP’s National Working Committee chaired by Abure. Peter Obi, present at the time, intervened, urging peace between the LP and the NLC.
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Obi emphasized the importance of reconciling differences, including the reported reconciliation between Abure and the Lamidi Apapa faction. This effort, as reported by The PUNCH, aims to unify the party for its greater stability and progress.
Confirming the upcoming meeting, a senior NLC member, speaking anonymously, disclosed that Obi will meet with NLC leadership on Thursday. The meeting is expected to be closed-door, with outcomes likely shared with the media afterward.
Yunusa Tanko, spokesperson for Peter Obi’s campaign, affirmed the meeting, describing it as part of the ongoing reconciliation process. Tanko clarified that for now, the meeting will involve Obi meeting individually with aggrieved stakeholders, indicating that a joint meeting involving Abure and the LP’s National Working Committee may happen later.
The initiative underscores Obi’s commitment to resolving internal strife within the Labour Party through dialogue and reconciliation efforts with key stakeholders like the NLC.