Ikechukwu Emetu, the Deputy Governor of Abia State in south-east Nigeria, says Nigeria’s Labour Party is open to anyone who wants to join, regardless of status or background.
Emetu, who also chairs the Labour Party’s National Steering Committee on Membership, Revalidation and Electronic Registration, spoke during the presentation of a report on a new membership drive by the party’s National Caretaker Committee, led by Nenadi Usman, a former Nigerian senator and former federal minister.
He said the party’s position is that it is a broad national platform and not a closed organisation. “The Labour Party is a party for all, irrespective of who they are.”
Emetu added that the party should not restrict entry for any group or individual. “The Labour Party is a national party and is not a cult group, where people will be restricted to coming into the party,” he said.
The deputy governor said the policy of openness would also apply to Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, arguing that Tinubu could decide to join the Labour Party on or before the 2027 elections and would be welcomed.
Tinubu is Nigeria’s current president and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party at the federal level. Nigeria is expected to hold its next general elections in 2027, and political parties have begun internal reorganisation, including membership updates and mobilisation, as part of longer-term preparations.