Labour Party Declares Open Membership, Says Tinubu Welcome to Join
Abia State Deputy Governor Ikechukwu Emetu, who also chairs the Labour Party’s National Steering Committee on Membership, Revalidation and e-Registration, has asserted the party’s inclusive identity, stating it welcomes all Nigerians without restriction. Emetu made the declaration while presenting a report on the party’s ongoing membership drive to the National Caretaker Committee, led by Nenadi Usman.
According to Emetu, the Labour Party positions itself as a national movement, distinct from exclusive political formations. “The Labour Party is a party for all, irrespective of who they are,” he stated. “The Labour Party is a national party and is not a cult group, where people will be restricted to coming into the party.” He repeated this theme, emphasizing, “This is a national party; it is not a cult group where people are restricted from joining. It is a party for everybody.”
In a notable extension of this open-door policy, Emetu specified that even the current President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is free to defect. “Even Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, can decide, on or before the 2027 elections, to join the Labour Party, and we will gladly accept him,” the Deputy Governor said.
The announcement comes as the party’s caretaker committee oversees a critical membership revalidation and electronic registration exercise. This drive is seen as a strategic effort to consolidate and verify the party’s grassroots support following its surge in the 2023 general elections, where it became a formidable opposition force, particularly among youthful voters.
Emetu’s comments serve to formally cement the party’s self-projection as a big-tent alternative in Nigeria’s political landscape. By explicitly naming the president, the statement underscores a confidence in the party’s ideological appeal and organizational strength, suggesting it is positioning itself as a viable destination for politicians across the spectrum ahead of the next electoral cycle.
The caretaker committee’s presentation of the membership drive report indicates progress in the party’s administrative reorganization. Success in the revalidation process is considered crucial for the Labour Party as it seeks to transition from a protest movement into a sustainable, structure-based party capable of challenging the established political order in future elections, starting with the 2027 polls.
