A three-man committee to work on improving the relationship between the Labour Party (LP) and its members in the National Assembly has been set up by the leadership.
Those appointed as members of the Intervention and Truce Committee are Hon. Ben Etanabene (Chairman), Hon. Mathew Nworgu and Hon. Chinedu Obika.
A statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Obiora Ifoh, yesterday, said the National Chairman, Mr Julius Abure, inaugurated the committee at the National Headquarters in Abuja.
Mr Abure tasked the lawmakers to liaise with the LP legislators in both chambers of the National Assembly with a view to identifying and resolving all the challenges in the relationship between the lawmakers and the party.
“We have invited you and entrusted you with this very all-important assignment of bringing together all our members in the National Assembly, both in the Senate and House of Representatives for the purpose of bridging the gaps and resolving all issues that may have existed.
“There is a need for all our members, about 40 of you, to be on the same page with the party leadership.
“You are our ambassadors at the National Assembly and we are proud of some of you and the values you have exhibited but we think there are still some gaps that need to be plugged, hence the urgency for this assignment.
“We expect that within two weeks from today, you would have concluded the assignment and report back to the leadership of the party. We can assure you that the party will do all it can to ensure that enduring truce is achieved within the party and particularly with a key stakeholder such as the National Assembly caucus”, the statement quoted Mr Abure as saying.
The three lawmakers, while accepting the assignment, expressed their “desire and willingness to take the assignment very seriously.”

Former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has vowed that he would work to unite opposition leaders against the All Progressives Congress (APC) in future elections.
Mallam El-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state from 2015 to 2023, has been critical of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, particularly since the Senate refused to confirm him as minister. He said Nigerians should not believe the narrative that the National Assembly rejected him as a ministerial nominee, noting that Tinubu did not want him in his cabinet.
In a statement on his verified Facebook page announcing his resignation from the APC on Monday, Mallam el-Rufai claimed that the ruling party had derailed from its values.
“Developments in the last two years confirm that there is no desire on the part of those who currently control and run the APC to acknowledge, much less address, the unhealthy situation of the party”, he wrote.
Mallam el-Rufai said he had repeatedly raised concerns about the party’s leadership but saw no effort to address them.
“Without prejudice to this decision, as a member of the SDP, I will focus on engaging with and persuading other opposition leaders and parties to join us and congregate under a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC in all elections and bye-elections between now and 2027 by the Grace of God.
“I, therefore, call on all our supporters and other persons concerned about our country’s future to join us in the SDP in the journey towards making Nigeria flourish as a beacon of pride for Africans and the Black Race”, he said.
Meanwhile, mixed reactions have since trailed his defection. While former APC National vice chairman (North West), Dr. Salihu Lukman, described el-Rufai’s defection as hasty, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela, federal character commissioner from Oyo State and former Commissioner for Education, said the move was a political suicide.
In Kaduna, political observers noted that his defection may have been hastened by the return of his arch political enemies to the APC. The former governor had been locked in political battles with the likes of Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi, Shehu Sani and many others who were then card-carrying members of the APC. Hunkuyi, after a political fight with el-Rufai left APC for the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) while Shehu Sani left APC for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
However, less than 24 hours after Shehu Sani, former senator representing Kaduna Central, openly declared support for Governor Uba Sani’s reelection bid, el-Rufai officially announced his defection.
Sources said the return of Shehu Sani and other prominent politicians including Hunkuyi, Senator Danjuma Laah, former Governor Ramalan Yero and others to the APC recently actually unsettled el-Rufai in the party.
Reacting via telephone with The Tide source, Senator Sani said: “el-Rufai leaving APC for SDP wouldn’t make any difference for someone with no political relevance again. But one thing is sure, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani will be voted again.”
The National Coordinator of the Disciples of Jagaban (DOJ), Abdulhakeem Adegoke Alawuje, also boasted that the defection of the former governor was not a threat to APC’s victory in the 2027 general elections.
In a statement, Alawuje said: “It is evident that this move is nothing more than an empty threat that holds no real political weight. Thousands of politicians, more experienced and influential than el-Rufai, have already made their way back to the APC, recognising that the party remains the strongest force in Nigeria’s political arena.
“There is no political force strong enough to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. Those who think otherwise are merely testing their political microphone at a low volume. The so-called coalition of expired politicians seeking relevance will not make any difference. Their efforts resemble a shameful dance to a drumbeat that no one will hear. If they insist on making noise, they will be the ones to dance to their own embarrassment.
“The 2027 election is a done deal. It will expose and silence selfish politicians who prioritize personal ambitions over national unity. Ironically, many of these opposition figures were once governors, ministers, or vice presidents, yet they failed to uplift the masses they now claim to represent”.

The Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), on Monday, dismissed moves by former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, to galvanise opposition figures towards unseating President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
They accused Mallam el-Rufai of being driven by “an inordinate ambition” in his defection to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Also on Monday, the APC noted that Mallam el-Rufai’s plan to mobilise against President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 would not produce any significant outcomes.
Mallam el-Rufai, earlier on Monday, announced his defection from the APC to the opposition SDP, vowing to mobilise against the APC government in 2027.
“I will focus on engaging with and persuading other opposition leaders and parties to join us and congregate under a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC in all elections and by-elections,” he stated.
Citing irreconcilable differences with the APC leadership, Mallam el-Rufai expressed disappointment in the ruling party, stating that over the past two years, the party had strayed from its progressive principles.
He highlighted his previous efforts to address internal issues privately and publicly, which he felt were ignored, leading to his decision to seek an alternative platform that aligns with his values.
In a resignation letter submitted to his ward in Kaduna State and shared on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Mallam el-Rufai stated, “As a founding member of the All Progressives Congress, I have fond memories of working with other compatriots to negotiate the merger of political parties that created the APC.
“Since 2013, I have hoped that my personal values and those of the APC will continue to align until I choose to retire from politics.
“Developments in the last two years confirm that those who currently control and run the APC do not desire to acknowledge, much less address, the party’s unhealthy situation.
“I have raised concerns in private and, more recently, in public regarding the party’s capricious trajectory.
“Therefore, at this point in my political journey, I have come to the conclusion that I must seek another political platform to pursue the progressive values I cherish.
“Founders rightly feel attached towards institutions they helped create, but one must be pragmatic enough to admit when a divergence appears unbridgeable.”
It added, “I have diligently served the APC and made my contributions to its viability as a political platform, but I recognize that the party has since strayed and left me stuck in the vision of its well-meaning founding fathers and mothers.
“As a loyal party man, I worked to help secure the APC’s election victories in 2015, 2019 and 2023. I was one of the many governors elected on the party’s platform in 2015 and 2019 that stood for certain democratic and progressive principles to advance nation-building.”
Mallam el-Rufai confirmed he had submitted his resignation letter to the ruling party and further explained that after consulting with his mentors, colleagues and supporters, he decided to join the SDP in preparation for the 2027 general election.
“Without prejudice to this decision, as a member of the SDP, I will focus on engaging with and persuading other opposition leaders and parties to join us and congregate under a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC in all elections and bye-elections between now and 2027 by the grace of God,” he said.
The Presidency, however, said Mallam el-Rufai’s switch to the SDP was a flawed move if he intended to unseat the governing party.
The Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, Mr Daniel Bwala, stated that while Mallam el-Rufai has the constitutional right to change parties, his motives will be closely examined in the coming days.
Mr Bwala, in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, @DanielBwala, downplayed Mallam el-Rufai’s significance in politics, arguing that his relevance was neither sudden nor extraordinary.