Labour Party crisis deepens as faction declares Lamidi Apapa as Ag. Chairman

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Labour Party crisis deepens as faction declares Lamidi Apapa as Ag. Chairman

The internal wrangling withing the Labour Party has taken a turn for the worse as seven members of the party’s National Working Committee announced the appointment of the National Vice Chairman (South), Lamidi Bashir Apapa, as Acting National Chairman.  

The crisis is coming following the invasion of the National Secretariat by a faction of the party earlier today (Thursday). 

A group of party loyalists aided by regular policemen stormed the party’s National Secretariat located at  Utako to take control of the structure.

In his maiden address, Apapa said his appointment was part of the outcome of an emergency meeting of the NWC which was sequel to the judgement of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court . 

The court he said restrained Julius Abure from parading himself as the National Chairman of the Party. 

Recall that apart from Abure, the court also restrained three other officials of the party over alleged forgery.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Hamza Muazu, also ordered that the originating processes of the court be served on the restrained officials – Abure, the National Secretary, Umar Farouk Ibrahim; the National Treasurer, Oluchi Opara; and the National Organising Secretary, Clement Ojukwu.

The judge held that the ex parte application for interim injunction restraining the four officials by aggrieved members of the LP before the court has merit and granted same.

Speaking further, Apapa announced that the NWC equallly reviewed the suspension of party members and executive  that were earlier suspended by the Abure-led leadership. 

The three other officials restrained  by the court were also replaced by Alh. Saleh Lawal- acting national secretary, Rawland Daramola- acting treasurer, and Prince Reuben Favour – acting organising secretary. 

Apapa said further, “The NWC equally reviewed that recently there are some cases of suspensions that were badly handled. And this National Working Committee meeting has reviewed them, and the suspension all over are hereby reviewed and  the officers are reinstated. 

“With effect from now, the so called officers whose the court had barred should not parade themselves as officers of the party until cases against them are treated or handled by the party.”

He equally denied the allegation that the party has been invaded by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the current leadership believes extensively in the presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi. 

 Abure, has in an earlier statement, raised an alarm that the ruling APC  had provided cover for armed thugs shielded by policemen from Force Headquarters to invade the party secretariat destroying property and sacking the legitimate party executive in the process. 

Abure alleged that the invaders pulled down the fences, burglaries, doors and window to gain  access to the Secretariat. 

He said : “Though, I was out of town but information has it that the agenda of the Invaders was to inaugurate an illegitimate executive which has been chosen for them by their sponsors.

“This incident is coming days after a similar invasion in our Imo state Secretariat which up till now is still being occupied by the agents of the Imo state government. 

“Only yesterday, our Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi through the Presidential Campaign Council alerted Nigerians of plot to hound him out of the country over APC’s covert plot in collaboration with some security agents to frame him up allegedly on matters bothering on treason.

“Labour Party is only a political party which is contesting for power. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC having conducted election ranked us third, a position we have rejected and have approached the Tribunal to contest. That is our only offence. 

“We therefore call on President Muhammadu Buhari to call his party, the APC to order and also rein then in from using unorthodox means to suffocate political structures in Nigeria”

“Few minutes ago, the national headquarters of the Labour Party in Abuja witnessed massive attack and was broken into by a detachment of the Nigerian Police and thugs believed to be working for the All Progressives Congress, APC. “

He further said, “A court of competent jurisdiction only yesterday ordered that I, Julius Abure remains the National Chairman, and should not be restrained from performing my duties, it therefore baffles me why the Nigerian Police should allow itself to be used to perpetrate illegalities.

“We advice the Police, APC and their sponsors to play by the rules. We will no longer tolerate the often intimidation and deployment of brute forces against the party and their personnel. 

“We demand they put a stop to abuse of power and respect the rights and privileges of other political parties, particularly, the Labour Party to contest for power.”

In a related development, The Nigeria Labour Congress, an affiliate of the Labour Party has described the sacking of the National Chairman, the National Secretary, National Treasurer and the Publicity Secretary of the Party, Messrs Julius Abure, Alhaji Farouk Ibrahim, Clement Ojukwu and Opara, respectively, by the High Court in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as an attempt to decapitate the leadership of the party and weaken it.

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Joseph Ajaero, in a statement in Abuja, on Thursday, said the sacking of the Executives of the party was greatly suspicious.

He added that it cannot be far from the  intent to  weaken the party from within or distract it from its fight to reclaim its stolen mandate at the polls.

The NLC in its  statement said the allegations on which the Judge based his ruling on the application  were unfounded, unproven and highly speculative and malicious.

He said the allegations of corruption, perjury and forgery was leveled against them by elements whose interest in the party could best be described as doubtful or dubious.

He stated that the ruling was sequel to a motion exparte filed along the substantive suit by eight so-called aggrieved members of the party including the Chairman of the party in Abure’s ward.

The NLC expressed the view that the judgement was meant to decapitate the leadership of the party with the suspected  intent to weaken the party from within  or  distract it from its fight to reclaim its victories at the polls.

The Labour Centre  urged the courts to exercise utmost caution in entertaining frivolous suits and  spurious prayers from mercenary party members as they are capable of compromising the integrity of the courts.