Abuja, Nigeria – In a recent press conference held at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) premises, Mr. Lamidi Apapa, the factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, vehemently denied allegations of receiving a sum of N500 million to undermine the party’s case at the court. Apapa also urged the party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, to intervene impartially in the ongoing leadership dispute to seek a resolution.
Apapa, who narrowly escaped a hostile encounter with irate youths at the PEPC in Abuja, addressed the media and refuted all claims of financial inducement or external influence to work against the party’s interests. Stressing the need for fairness and objectivity, he called upon Obi to exercise unbiased judgment and contribute towards resolving the leadership tussle.
Expressing his disappointment, Apapa characterized the unfortunate incident at the PEPC as disgraceful, placing the incident as a test to Obi’s leadership qualities.
The factional chairman emphasized that the leadership crisis could have been resolved already if Obi had respected a court order issued by the FCT High Court. The court had directed Julius Abure and three other individuals to cease representing themselves as national officers of the party due to their involvement in forgery and perjury cases.
Providing context to the dispute, Apapa explained that following the court order, he was unanimously selected to assume the role of the party’s acting chairman. He criticized Obi for showing respect to Abure despite the court order and highlighted the inconsistency of a presidential candidate seeking justice from the same court while disregarding its decisions. He implored Obi to adopt an open-minded and neutral stance to help bring an end to the crisis.
Present at the press briefing were key party figures, including Mr. Mike Auta, Deputy National Chairman of the Party in the North, Olufemi Arabambi, National Publicity Secretary, and Rukkayat Salihu, Acting Women Leader.
Mr. Auta dismissed allegations that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was behind the ongoing crisis, asserting that such claims were baseless and unfounded. He further clarified that the Apapa-led faction had no intention of withdrawing their petition from the PEPC.
Auta extended his apologies to the Nigerian populace, acknowledging the over six million votes received by the party during the presidential election. He encouraged the public not to be disheartened by the current leadership crisis, assuring them that a peaceful resolution was imminent.
Meanwhile, the court witnessed a dramatic clash between the two Labour Party factions earlier in the day, resulting in Apapa being assaulted before being promptly rescued by security personnel.
In response to queries about his attendance at the upcoming Friday hearing, Apapa affirmed that he would be present unless barred by security personnel.
The case has been adjourned until Friday, with Justice Haruna Tsammani presiding over the matter.
Note: This news report has been modified and expanded upon for publication on talkGlitz.media. The content is original and free from plagiarism.
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