The Labour Party leadership has constituted a three-man intervention and truce committee to smoothen the relationship between it and its members in the National Assembly.

The party’s national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said this was part of the on-going efforts to engender an enduring harmony in the party.

According to him, the committee, headed by Ben Etanabene, has Mathew Nworgu and Chinedu Obika as members.

He said that LP national chairman, Julius Abure, inaugurated the committee on Monday at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

Mr Abure urged the committee to liaise with the LP legislators in both chambers of the National Assembly to identify and resolve all differences between them and the party.

Mr Abure said, “We entrust you with this important assignment of bringing together all our members in the National Assembly, both in the Senate and House of Representatives. This is 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.”

He said that the party expected that within two weeks, the committee would have concluded its assignment and reported 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 NASS caucus,” he said.

In his response, Mr Etanabene pledged the desire and willingness of the committee to take the assignment very seriously.

Some LP members in the National Assembly had recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The most notable was the defection of four LP legislators in the House of Representatives in one sitting, with all of them citing the crisis in the party for their defections.

They were: Chinedu Okere (Owerri Municipal/Owerri North/Owerri West); Mathew Donatus (Kaura); Akiba Bassey (Calabar Municipal/Odukpani); and Esosa Iyawe (Oredo). 

(NAN)