‘Disregard treacherous letters seeking withdrawal of petitions’ – Labour Party, alerts DSS, EFCC, as Apapa faction secretly moves to stop Obi at PEPC

Mainstream Labour Party (LP) has asked the Presidential Elections Petitions Court (PEPC) sitting in Abuja to disregard letters sent to it by its sacked National Legal Adviser, Mr Samuel Akingbade, seeking withdrawing of all the petitions filed by the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi before it.

LP’s Acting National Publicity Secretary, Mr Obiora Ifoh, in a statement, made released, Tuesday,who described the latest moves  as ‘the height of subterfuge and treachery,’ also called on the police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and anti-graft agencies to ‘apprehend and question Akingbade, as well as other former officials of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party involved in the letter before they succeeded in igniting the nation.

It would be recalled that the highest decision-making organ of the party, the National Executive Council (NEC), at its meeting in Asaba, Delta State, last week, affirmed the suspension of members of the Lamidi Apapa faction of the party, just as it reconstituted its NWC to run the affairs of the party headed by Deputy National Chairman of the party, Mrs. Ladi Iliya.

The crisis at the LP was occasioned by the ruling of a Federal High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Abuja, which last month suspended the LP National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, on a suit filed by some aggrieved members of the party, on the back of an earlier suspension of the embattled Abure by his Ward in Edo State for anti-party activities and corruption.

However, with Abure’s suspension, a faction emerged which announced Lamidi Apapa, a vice chairman of the party in the South West, as the new acting National Chairman. The faction has also conducted its own primary election for the November 11 election in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo state governorship elections.

In its latest move, the Apapa faction secretly sent a letter to the PEPC seeking to withdraw the petition filed by the Peter Obi joined by the LP challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential elections which produced Bola Tinubu as president-elect, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

However, reacting to the letter of withdrawal sent in by Apapa, the LP mainstream faction also countered by dispatching to the PEPC requesting the tribunal to disregard the request sent in by the latter group, as according to Ifoh, ‘Apapa and his co-travellers are desperate to satisfy their pay masters who are bent on threatening Nigeria’s democracy.’

“Just on Tuesday morning, our legal team was confronted by the stark revelation that these men have advanced their plots by approaching tribunals where our candidates lodged petitions to discontinue the cases.

“The party’s suspended Deputy National Chairman, Mr Lamidi Apapa has approached all election tribunals wherein LP has pending matters, including that of our presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, asking for withdrawal of cases.

“We are by this statement informing all arms of the Judiciary, including the tribunals and courts to ignore the ignoble antics of these compromised, suspended members of the party.

“Daily, the evil intention of the breakaway faction of the Labour Party, led by the suspended deputy national chairman, Mr Apapa continues to manifest.

“The desperation of the moles to satisfy their paymaster is beginning to threaten the nation’s peace and democracy.

“Approaching the tribunals to withdraw all the cases lodged by Labour Party candidates is the height of subterfuge and treachery, and Nigerians will resist this ploy to plunge the nation into unnecessary turmoil.

“Their actions show that they are working against the party to destroy it.

“If they claim they have problem with the national leadership of the party, will they also claim that they have problem with the candidates of the party?

“What offence have the candidates of the party committed that they are now moving around to withdraw their matters from the tribunals?

“The leadership of the Labour Party is therefore calling on the tribunals to disregard any letter emanating from our suspended National Legal Adviser, Samuel Akingbade to the effect that all our cases are to be withdrawn.

“We are also calling on the presidential election tribunal to disregard such letters from these ex officials of our party asking for the withdrawal of HE Peter Obi’s petition,” the statement read.

National Executive Council (NEC) of the Labour Party (LP) last Monday appointed Mr. Obiora Ifoh as acting National Publicity Secretary.

The mainstream faction of the party took the decision at the NEC’s meeting in Asaba, Delta State.

The appointment of Ifoh followed the ratification of the expulsion of the former Publicity Secretary, Mr. Arabambi Abayomi, earlier agreed upon at the Akure convention of the party.

The resolution was signed by the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Mrs. Ladi Iliya.

The NEC led by Mrs. lliya and the Deputy National Secretary, Prince Kennedy Ahanotu further outlined other disciplinary actions taken against erring members.

Some of the party’s members who were suspended as a result of their role in the current leadership crisis rocking the party include; Lamidi Apapa, who briefly took over the leadership of the party following the ruling of an FCT High Court in Abuja which suspended the National Chairman, Julius Abure.

Other suspended members include; Alhaji Salem Lawal, Prince Favour Reuben, Gbenga Daramola, Samuel Akingbade and Mohammed Akali.

Aside passing a vote of confidence on the National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure, the NEC meeting also approved the extension of tenure of the current National Working Committee (NWC) for twelve months, which they said was in line with the party’s constitution in article 13 (2) (B) IX which is in a bid to allow the current leadership focus on the numerous litigations arising the 2023 general elections.

Earlier that Monday, leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), led by its President, Mr. Joe Ajaero and General Secretary, Mr. Emmanuel Ugboaja, stormed the Labour Party National Secretariat to show solidarity with the Abure-led mainstream group.

Already, the entire 36 state chairmen of the LP have disowned Lamidi Apapa as acting national chairman following his self declaration in April, this year, as such.