Mrs. Nenadi Usman, interim national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), has warned members and supporters to ignore individuals demanding payment for the party’s ongoing electronic membership registration.
Speaking on Monday during the unveiling of the party’s e-registration portal in Abuja, Usman said the registration exercise is completely free and should not attract any payment.
Stakeholders from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) attended the event.
Addressing journalists, Usman said the registration exercise was introduced to simplify membership documentation and prepare the party for upcoming congresses and its national convention.
Her words: “I can attest to the fact that you didn’t need to pay anyone to do this registration. So, Nigerians are not being asked to pay money to do this registration. So anybody who says that online anywhere is probably a thief, if I should use that word.
“However, there is a page there where if you need to pay your dues as a member of the Labour Party, you click a link on the page, and it takes you to where you pay your dues.
“But you are not required to pay a dime to do this registration to become a member of a level party. It is absolutely free of charge.”
Usman said the e-registration initiative would help the party develop a transparent membership register.
According to her, the exercise will culminate in congresses at ward, state and zonal levels before the party holds a national convention to elect members of its national working committee.
Usman also dismissed suggestions that the Labour Party was distracted by criticism or internal disagreements.
She stated: “First of all, everybody is entitled to their opinion, but for us as a Labour Party, we are not going to waste time in arguing about who is saying what or doing what.
“We are just going to face the issue of the day, which is e-registration, and we will get it done. This is a party that stands for social justice. It is a party that stands for equal opportunities.
“Because of that, almost every Nigerian worker believes in the Labour Party and is willing to register. I assure you that what will take other political parties three weeks to do wouldn’t take us more than a week, and we will be ready.”
