BY: Nick Nwaneri, Calabar
The ongoing impasse between Organized Labour and the Labour party in Cross River State has taken a new dimension with the foray of Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) into the fray.
Sources close to the party, said as the melee gets messier as the CNPP’s tacit support is open, unambiguous and even confrontational, there seems to be no end to it.
Supporters of Peter Obi who had yet to get reconciled to the reality of a major problem within their ranks are not taking lightly the intrusion of third parties in a problem which is strictly an internal affair for which mechanisms for resolution were being activated.
The CNPP had in press statement captioned, ORGANIZED LABOUR: LEAVE AMBASSADOR OGAR OSIM ALONE, signed by its State Chairman, Paddy Ally, condemned Organized Labour for insisting on inclusiveness and probity in running the affairs of the Labour Party, particularly in the candidates’ selection process. It also described Labour as being greedy and overbearing.
The statement reads in part;”It is rather sad and disappointing that some members of the Organized Labour in Cross River have abandoned their core mandate of ensuring that all our retirees’ pension and gratuity are paid them, workers are promoted as and when due, ensure prompt payment of leave grants and general welfare of members.”
The group further said; “The Organized Labour further exposed their ignorance by alleging that their body conducted primaries for the forth coming election, but INEC refused to honour the list of their own candidates. When has Organized Labour suddenly become a Political Party in Nigeria? If the leadership of the Organized Labour in Cross River is bereft of ideas that will add value to the well-being of its members, they are free to resign and become partisan.
It ended with; “finally, we wish to reiterate that Ambassador Ogar Osim is both the State Chairman of Labour Party and IPAC. He is a bonfide member of Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP). The general public should be circumspect and carry out due diligence checks with the INEC and the National Leadership of Labour Party if in doubt as to who the authentic Labour Party Chairman is.”
Earlier, Organized Labour had in a press conference passed a vote of no confidence on the leadership of Mr. Ogar Osim and also dissociated itself from the Party. It claimed among other things that the Acting State Chairman, Mr. Ogar Osim, had hawked party tickets to questionable persons without recourse to them.
In the release sited by our correspondent, which was signed by the state chairman of NLC, Comrade Ben Ukpepi and state chairman of TUC, Comrade Monday Ogbodum, they also alleged that Mr Osim refused to send the list candidates validly selected by them through proper primaries held and witnessed by relevant stakeholders.
They also alleged that a few days before the close of substitution of candidates, he went online shopping for candidates to replace the shadow ones earlier submitted by him.
In his response to the allegations, Mr Osim accused Organized Labour of Interference and being a brown envelope body.Notwithstanding the volume and toxicity of scum being thrown by both feuding parties, the question on every true lover of Labour Party is, what is the concern of CNPP in the internal affairs of a Party that it would go public with its support for a faction?
The acting Chairman of Labour Party in the state, Mr. Ogar Osim seems to be carried away with the euphoria of support from strange bed fellows who he should rather be wary of. He should realise that an enemy who offers to fight his father on his behalf can never mean well for him.
He ought to realise that the 2023 elections is a fight between light and darkness and the enemy represented by CNPP will do anything to render him vulnerable.If the party intends to do well in the forthcoming elections, both parties must eschew bitterness and imbibe tolerance as that is the only way to defeat those who are mortgaging our futures.
