National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, in this interview with EMEKA NZE discloses that there was foiled attempt by some NLC officials to hijack the party. He also said that the party is yet to settle for a presidential candidate in the February 14 presidential election
Labour party is waxing stronger by the day and a big kudos to you and your team. What would you ascribe this great leap to?
It has to do with experience, continuity, individual sense of vision and mission and also with interaction and approach. Immediately after the convention, my promise to the delegates was that by the special grace of God, we were going to take the party to the next level and we are taking the party actually to the next level.
What is the relationship between the Labour Party of Nigeria and the Nigeria Labour Congress?
Some certain persons thought they could take over the Labour Party, started with the noise about their desire to re-focus the party. Yet these are the same people that have always been with us. For the past 12 years that LP has being in existence, the NLC has not contributed any money. This is despite including the National President and Secretary of the NLC in the National Executive Council of the party. This is also despite the fact that we approached them on every issue, including programmes on every agenda. They participated in our NEC meeting but suddenly, the former National Secretary thought he could take over the party and do whatever he liked with it, and we resisted it. Luckily, the NLC congress would soon hold and that is where those with the interest of workers will emerge. We believe when that time comes, we will have a more robust and positive relationship with them.
Outside the Nigerian workers, where do you think your strength lies as Labour Party of Nigeria?
We have followers all over the country just as we have offices in every state of the federation. Our constitution says that we draw our membership from the majority of patriotic Nigerians. Honest and committed Nigerians.
Was the Labour Party formed by the Nigeria Labour Congress?
It was indeed formed by the NLC, I was a member of the NLC and at a point the General Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), also in the national executive council of the NLC for over 30 years. I was given the mandate to register the Labour Party. Then, it was called Party for Social Democracy (PSD), we later discovered that those without correct knowledge and Adams Oshiomhole was the National President then and we renamed it Labour Party.
What about the exit of Oshiomhole from the Labour Party to the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), has it contributed to the state of the party, especially given the frosty relationship with the NLC?
Not necessarily, Oshiomhole has never registered with the Labour party.
But he was a candidate of Labour party but not a committed candidate. He used LP to move to another political party. He underrated his own influence, popularity and his acceptability to the people of Edo state. His party then the ACN never influenced his election. The people of Edo state elected him based on his personal capacity as ab acceptable individual. If he had realized that, he would not have gone to another political party. He saw Labour Party as one without money and needed a party like ACN that had money. Unfortunately for him ACN never contributed anything to him during the election.
Under the immediate past National Chairman of your party, Dan Nwanyanwu, LP was seen as an appendage of the ruling PDP, do you agree with that?
I do not agree with that because under Dan Nwanyanwu, he consistently maintained that we had no agreement with PDP but only decided to support Goodluck Jonathan. Presently in this dispensation, we have no presidential candidate but we are yet to meet to decide on who to support. If we have raced towards supporting anybody, the merging scenario in the political sphere would have made nonsense of that move.
Was the exit of the only governor under the LP, Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo state also a big blow to the party?
No, but even if it was, it is restricted to Ondo state. Today we have governorship candidates in many states. We are disappointed that he decided to go but till this moment, we are still friends.
As at last month news had it that it was only the former Governor of Oyo state, Alao Akala that the party has endorsed to run for governor under your platform until a NEC meeting meant to ratify others. Has the situation changed?
That is not true, Ogboru in Delta state came before Alao Akala, in fact, we just came back from Delta state where we flagged off the gubernatorial campaign of our candidate, Great Ogboru. Also, Edward from Ebonyi is with us. Immediately Gov. Mimiko left LP, the who-is-who in Ebonyi decamped to Labour Party, except the governor whose Chief of Staff moved also. Today, we have Senators, Rep Members, and Assembly members and so on.
How is the Labour Party of Nigeria doing to fish in waters where the PDP and APC have lost many followers due to disaffection from those members?
We are a peaceful lot in LP, we do not agitate unnecessarily. Also our manifesto is clear. We are resolute in our resolves. We have a way of reaching out to people without attracting unnecessary attention.
Would your party support the postponement of the forthcoming general elections?
We cannot give a categorical yes or no for now, because in our party decisions are collective, even I as the National Chairman has no prerogative to take a sole decision for the party. We are meeting very soon to take a decision on the election.
Will that meeting also involve your endorsement of a candidate from the other parties with regards to the presidential election?
It may and may not. Such a decision must not be taken in a hurry.
Any message to Nigerians as regards the forthcoming elections?
There should be a violent-free election. I am happy to see that our youths are beginning to understand the dynamics of politics that it will not be easy to use them to cause destruction this time around.
