From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Ahead of the 2027 polls, Labour Party (LP) Directorate of Mobilization and Integration has disclosed plans to commission state coordinators, mobilise Nigerians with proven integrity across the country to drive the party structure.
This was contained in a statement by the Director General of LP Directorate of Mobilization and Integration, Marcel Ngogbehei and the Deputy Director, Strategic Engagements Mobilization and Integration Directorate of the party, Sheikh Rufai Al-Saddiq.
According to him, the inauguration which is slated for Friday 6th December, will take place in the respective LP State Secretariat and it will mark a significant milestone in the party.
Recall that Ngogbehei in an electronic message through his X handle recently, hinted on restructuring the directorate by bringing the state directorates who will work closely with the state party Chairmen.
He noted after identifying the leaders of the state directorates, they would be integrated into the party structure at the national level and they would interface with diverse groups at the grassroots and report directly to the directorate.
“We are marshaling out what we call a tactical plan for 2027; a three to six months plan, and we’re going to make it a very easy and straightforward one.
“We will restructure the Directorate and look forward to bringing in more hands that will take care of capabilities we’ve seen that are not currently in the directorate.
“So bringing more people, we’re going to set up the state Directorate. The state directorate will now have to work closely with each of the Labor Party state chairman and the Labor Party State National Working Committee”, he said.
Ngogbehei further stated that the state directorate leaders will be integrated into the party structure at the state level where they will have a desk in each of the states and work closely with the party.
He noted that the state directorate will be an interface in which to now engage with other diverse groups and probably help recruit more members, help integrate more diverse groups; the tailoring Association, mechanic Association, motoring Association, different associations.
“The state directorate will be that interface in their various states, and when that is done, we will now see and make some training and ensure that we are able to pull in conveners and then set up the Labor Party conveners council.
“So, these are three key strategic approaches that the Directorate of Labor will do in the next three to six months. So, for the state directorate, we’re going to set up a team, the state coordinator, their Assistant state coordinator, the state secretary, and then one person representing his senatorial zones.
“So, this will come together to form the Labor Party state Directorate of mobilization and integration management team. They will work closely with the Labor Party chairman in each state, and they will be reporting directly to the DG of mobilization and integration at the Labor Party national headquarters.
“We are doing this because we want to solve one of the problems that we encountered in 2023 where there is no harmonious integration between the party and the support structure, where we could not individually identify people in terms of their integrity level or transparency level, and have some level of confidence in dealing with them.”
He said if the party starts now by putting up this structure, they will train people, watch them over time, and make sure they acquire the critical skills they will need to support structure for the party across all the states.
On the functions of State Directorate state structure, he said they will be implementing the strategy of the directorate which will be set out at the national level.
“So at the national level, we will set the strategy and be clear on what should be achieved. We would expect them to work with the Labor Party chairmen in their various states and implement them,” he said.
He further stated that the state directorates would help in campaigns and event coordination.
He said: “During campaigns, we are not just going to pick up people that we don’t know. We already have people that we work with, and then they will help us to integrate some diverse groups and reach out and do a lot of grassroots engagement.”
Ngogbehei said they will measure their success by looking at the number of people they were able to recruit into the party; by looking at the number of coalitions they have been able to build within their state and the number of diverse interest groups they were able to attract.
“And that is the direction the Directorate is setting for the party. So, the Labour Party will kick start this. We’ve already had the first meeting with all the Labor Party state chairman where I was invited, and I made the speech to them, and it was well accepted.
“So by integrating into an existing party structure, you take time to learn and grow your skills, and when you grow your skills, you could either decide to be part of the party structure, or you could remain as a supporting structure, or you could also decide to be a candidate down the line.
“But we want to build a web of trusted fellows with integrity, not the one that will do a grab and run or the one that has an ulterior motive, it is core loyalty to the party.”
