The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Labour Party (LP) are currently fighting over who is to blame for the crisis within the party.

Joe Ajaero, the President of the NLC, believes that the ruling party and the federal government are the ones behind the problem. But Julius Abure, the leader of another LP faction, says it’s Ajaero and the NLC that caused the crisis by supporting a different group led by Senator Nenadi Usman.

During a meeting with supporters of the Usman-led group, Ajaero said that the Labour Party is being attacked because it has strong potential. He accused government agencies of trying to break up the party.

Ajaero asked the government to stop interfering with the Labour Party. He explained that in many countries, Labour Parties are controlled by trade unions, and Nigeria should not be different. He also said that the Labour Party is a place where ordinary people can rise and succeed.

He mentioned that they will finish their campaign to raise awareness in the next month and asked interested people to join the party, especially those from unions or organized groups.

Ajaero said the people who started the party must fix things. He said he isn’t fighting anyone but wants to bring order. He also sent out a message asking workers to get ready to take action soon.

But Julius Abure’s group strongly disagrees. In a statement, they said Ajaero should stop blaming the government and look at the damage he has done to the party.

They said Ajaero and the Nenadi Usman group held an “illegal” meeting in Abuja. They claimed that it’s Ajaero and the NLC who are actually dividing the party.

According to them, there were no serious problems in the party after the 2023 elections until Ajaero set up a so-called Transition Committee. This group, they said, made things worse by spreading confusion.

They also accused Ajaero’s group of disturbing INEC and using elderly people who should be retired to go against the party’s interests. Names mentioned include Abdulawaheed Omar, Comrade Ejiofor, Lawson Osagie, and Professor Theophilus Ndubaku.

Abure’s team said that Nigerians want Ajaero to focus on his main job — fighting for workers’ rights — and stay away from politics. They added that even the Ministry of Labour told Ajaero to stop getting involved in political matters.

In the end, they blamed Ajaero and the NLC for the problems in the Labour Party and said he should take full responsibility.