The leadership of the Labour Party, LP, has threatened to sanction its members in the House of Representatives for speaking against the party.
The Julius Abure-led LP issued the threat on Monday after the LP caucus in the House of Representatives demanded that the party postponed its upcoming National Convention.
The caucus led by Afam Ogene in a statement yesterday faulted the party for putting the cart before the horse, in the sense that the LP decided to hold the National Convention before state congresses.
Ogene stated that the LP lawmakers must also be formally informed before the party could go ahead with the convention.
But in its reaction, the party said the lawmakers were ignorant of the workings of the party, accusing them of not studying the party’s Constitution thoroughly.
LP said Ogene was dully informed by the party of the convention, adding that the lawmaker is comparing the party’s constitution with that of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the PDP.
The party, said it will not hesitate to come down hard on the lawmakers, which it accused of serving their own interest, deviating from its core values of defending the people since they were elected in the House.
Ogene “is very unknowledgeable as it relates to the provision of the constitution of the party under which he was elected,” LP said.
According to the party, “We had expected, though he is coming from the background of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), to not mistake the APC and PDP constitutions to that of the Labour Party.
“In line with Article 15:1-4 of our party constitution, there is no equality of tenure. While the ward, local government and state executives have three three-year tenure, the national executive has four years’ tenure.
“At the moment, party executives in over 16 states are subsisting because they have conducted their congresses.
“We had expected Honourable Ogene to read the constitution of the party before making public comments against the party,” the LP stated.
“The leader of the caucus is the alter ego of the party, who should defend the party policy and programmes in the National Assembly., and for him to say that the House of Representatives caucus was not informed about the convention is clearly a mischief taken too far.
“We are aghast at the kind of politics Honourable Ogene has chosen to play. It is therefore very unhealthy for him to rush to the press to misinform our members.
“We had expected him to be a liaison between the party leadership and the National Assembly and as a leader he claims to be, to help in ensuring that peace reigns in the party at all time.
“We are also shocked that members of the House of Representatives elected under the Labour Party are always quick to rush to the media whenever we make major decisions.
“This is against the background that they have never risen to the occasion as members of the Labour Party in the House, who are supposed to be the voice of the people and speak truth to power, in spite of the numerous challenges the country is going through.
“Again, considering the sacrifices made by Nigerians in electing these Labour Party legislators, we had expected them to be the ambassadors of the people.
“It appears that they seat at the national assembly for themselves alone. It is obvious that it is only when it concerns the party that they flex muscles.
“They need not be told of the persecution the party leadership has been undergoing in the hands of the government in power as a result of their election into offices and yet, they have no qualms in bringing the party to opprobrium at any given opportunity.
“We, therefore, advise our lawmakers to desist from rushing to the press on party matters. Party internal matters must remain and kept internal matters. The party will not hesitate to discipline any party member who will not respect the supremacy of the party. The party is prepared to defend its ideology and constitution at all times irrespective of whose ox is gored.”
Meanwhile, close watchers of the LP said the party must put its house in order if it ever wants to take power at the centre. ongoing internal squabbles will not help the opposition party, they insist.
