Defiant Lamidi Apapa sneaks into PEPT, takes backseat, as court hears PDP, LP petitions

Factional Acting national Chairman sneaked into the courtroom of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT), Friday, at its resumed pre-hearing sitting in Abuja.

The embattled Mr Apapa, however, took a back seat this time around as against his insistence on occupying the official space reserved for the leadership of the mainstream body of the party, including the second petitioner and party’s presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi.

Apapa was spotted alone and by himself at the courtroom, with no member of his faction seen around him as he entered the court.

It would be recalled that Apapa insistence on being recognised as the party chairman and occupying its seat at the PEPT courtroom caused commotion, Wednesday, prompting the Presiding Judge, Justice Haruna Tsamani to order him out along with his group.

Chief Apapa had attempted taking position at the space reserved for the Labour Party but was prevented from doing so by the Director General of Peter Obi’s presidential campaign council, Akin Osuntokun, and other party and campaign chieftains who had arrived earlier.

Apapa had attempted hijacking the party’s space at the courtroom, despite the court yet to affirm him as the LP National Chairman.

However, the factional party leader was disgraced out of the courtroom as the PEPT refused him audience, and then ordered the embattled chairman out of the court proceedings.

Outside the courtroom, Apapa had to be rescued by police operatives from a booing mob of Labour Party supporters who followed him and his group till they were out of sight.

However, recounting his ordeal while featuring as guest on Arise television, Thursday morning, Apapa  vowed to return on Friday for the resumed pre-hearing in the petition filed by the Labour Party and Mr Obi.

“I intend to return to the court tomorrow (Friday). I am doing nothing contrary to the law of the land by asserting my authority as the acting chairman of the party. Abure who failed to honour court orders keeps appearing at the tribunal with Peter Obi who is trying to claim his mandate from the tribunal through the rule of law.

“This is unfortunate,” Apapa told Arise Television, Thursday.

This is as reports were rife of a planned invasion of the PEPT court premise by Apapa and his political thugs said to be from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which his faction has publicly endorsed, including its presidential candidate and president-elect, Bola Tinubu.

Both the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi and the LP’s suspended National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure are already present in court.

Senior lawyers agreed to commence proceeding for the day with the pre-hearing of the PDP v INEC/APC/Tinubu/Shettima petition first and then later the LP/PO will go next.

The Cause list at the tribunal is the resumed pre-hearing in the petitions by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as well as, that of the Labour Party and its co-petitioner, Mr Obi.

All the cases were adjourned to Friday, May 19 for further hearing.

Also, it is expected that the PEPT will rule on the live coverage of court proceedings sought by the PDP and its candidate, Atiku, and backed by the Labour Party, which was opposed by all counsels to the respondents, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Bola Tinubu, his vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, and the APC.