Lamidi Apapa Debunks Claims He Received N500m To Plunge Labour Party Into Crisis

By Akinwale Kasali

Lamidi-Apapa, the factional National Leader of the Labour Party, LP, has debunked claims that he was paid a huge sum of N500 Million to destabilise and scuttle the ongoing case of the Party at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

A few days ago, the Party became a symbol of ridicule at the Tribunal when both factions, Apapa’s  and that of the  suspended substantive National Chairman,  Julius Abure, engaged each other in a free for all fighting in the public glare.

Apapa escaped lynching by angry Party loyalists during an interview with newsmen. It  took the intervention of Security operatives at the Tribunal who whisked  him away to save him.

Though, Apapa, according to him, had called on the LP Presidential Candidate at the February 25th, 2023 Presidential Election, Peter Obi to intervene in the crisis bedeviling the Party objectively with a view to resolving it.

He said that Obi must be unbiased and objective in handling the crisis in order to resolve the leadership tussle.

Apapa decried what happened at the PEPC  in the presence of  Obi describing it as disgraceful and a test of Obi’s leadership quality.

The factional Chairman said that the leadership crisis would have been put behind them if the Presidential Candidate had respected an order of the  FCT High Court.

The FCT High court had ordered Julius Abure and three others to desist from parading themselves as National officers of the party over their alleged indictment for forgery and perjury.

Tracing the genesis of the crisis, Apapa said that immediately the order of Court was served on the parties, he was unanimously selected to lead the party in an acting capacity.

He said that it was wrong for Obi to be according respect to Abure in spite of the order of the Court and as a Presidential candidate seeking justice from the same Court of Law.

He implored Obi to be open- minded and neutral in order to end the crisis.

In attendance at the briefing were the Deputy National Chairman of the Party in the North, Mike Auta, the National Publicity Secretly Olufemi Arabambi and the Acting Women Leader Rukkayat Salihu.

For his part, Auta  denied that the All Progressives Congress, (APC) was behind the crisis adding that the allegation was baseless and unfounded.

He also said that the Apapa-led faction had no intention of withdrawing the petition at the PEPC.

Auta apologised to Nigerians who he said gave the party over six million votes during the Presidential Election saying  they should not be discouraged by the current leadership crisis as it would soon be over.

He gave the assurance that the dispute would be resolved amicably.

There was drama at the PEPC when  two factions of Labour Party clashed over which faction had the right to be present in court.

The drama led to Apapa receiving some punches before he was whisked away by security personnel to safety.

The trial Judge, Justice Haruna Tsammani, adjourned the case to party Friday.

When asked if he would be present at Friday’s sitting in spite of what happened in court on Wednesday, Apapa answered in the affirmative adding that except he would be barred by security personnel.