Labour Party warns against fees for membership registration

Labour Party membership registration is free, says Nenadi Usman as the party launches an e-registration portal ahead of congresses and convention

The interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, Nenadi Usman, has warned members and supporters to disregard individuals demanding payment for the party’s ongoing electronic membership registration, insisting that the exercise is completely free.

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Usman issued the warning on Monday during the official unveiling of the party’s e-registration portal in Abuja, an event attended by stakeholders from the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.

Addressing journalists at the event, Usman explained that the Labour Party membership registration initiative was introduced to simplify membership documentation and prepare the party for its upcoming congresses and national convention.

“I can attest to the fact that you didn’t need to pay anyone to do this registration. Nigerians are not being asked to pay money to do this registration.

Anybody who says that online anywhere is probably a thief, if I should use that word,” she said.

Usman clarified that while members may pay dues through a designated link on the portal, such payments are separate from the registration process.

“You are not required to pay a dime to do this registration to become a member of the Labour Party. It is absolutely free of charge,” she added.

The launch of the portal comes as the party works to rebuild and reorganise its structures nationwide following internal leadership disputes that have persisted since the 2023 general elections.

According to Usman, the Labour Party membership registration exercise will establish a transparent and verifiable database that will guide the party’s forthcoming internal elections.

The process is expected to culminate in congresses at ward, state and zonal levels before a national convention is held to elect members of the party’s National Working Committee.

Usman dismissed suggestions that criticism or internal disagreements were distracting the leadership, stressing that the party remained focused on strengthening its structures ahead of future political contests.

“This is a party that stands for social justice and equal opportunities. Because of that, almost every Nigerian worker believes in the Labour Party and is willing to register,” she said, expressing confidence that the process would be completed swiftly.

Earlier, a veteran trade unionist and member of the party’s Board of Trustees, Lawson Osagie, dismissed claims of factionalisation within the party, maintaining that its organs were operating in line with the ruling of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and regulations of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Osagie said the party’s National Caretaker Committee had been mandated to supervise the process leading to congresses and a national convention that would usher in a new substantive leadership.

He added that the caretaker leadership was committed to producing a credible membership register to guide the party’s internal democratic process.

“We don’t have any problems in the Labour Party in any of our states. The Supreme Court judgment made it clear that the tenure of the previous leadership had expired.

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One of the key responsibilities of the interim leadership is to conduct congresses and a national convention,” Osagie said.

Quadri Olaitan