As leadership crisis continues to rock the Labour Party (LP), the Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Lamidi Bashiru Apapa has denied being a stooge of the President-Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Apapa disclosed this on Wednesday in Bauchi during the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party.
The acting National Chairman expressed surprised that the Presidential candidate of the party, Mr Peter Obi did not know him
He claimed he had been in labour party since 2001, became the State Chairman in Osun for 10 years, Deputy President South West for fours and was Deputy National Chairman before being ratified by the NWC as Acting Chairman of the Labour Party.
According to Apapa, his emergence as the acting Chairman was to rescue the party from being destroyed by the Barrister Julius Aburi led faction.
Apapa also denied wide-spread speculation that his leadership was scheming to withdraw the suit filed by the Labour Party challenging the outcome of the Presidential election that announced the All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate as winner.
“Let me state categorically that the Labour Party under my leadership is committed to lawfully pursuing the matter in the presidential election petition tribunal to a logical end,” he assured.
“Labour Party under my leadership will accept the outcome of the presidential election petition tribunal up to Supreme Court”.
He said the Abure tenure committed criminal infractions and the NWC had no choice than to constitutionally remove him and three other national officers of the Labour party.
Apapa accused Aburi of using unlawful means to withdraw and substitute eligible candidates who emerged from lawful primaries.
“This action has constituted a major problem in the party as evidenced in the Nigeria Police FCID Investigation Report with Forensic Audit, upon which the FCT High Court issued a retraining under on 5th April,2023 against Aburi and three others from parading themselves as National Officers of our great party, under Julius Aburi,” he stated.
He said the leadership vacuum created by the exit of Aburi and the other three national officers was filled in acting capacities during an emergency meeting of the NWC of the party on 6th April 2003.
He alleged that Aburi and three national officers had been indicted by the police for forgery, perjury and criminal conspiracy.
Apapa recalled that the Federal High Court on 5th April restrained the National Chairman, Julius Abari, the National Secretary, Allhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, Ojukwu Clement, National Organizing Secretary Mrs Oluchi Opkara as National Treasurer from parading themselves as National Officers of the Labour Party.
He said from being the Deputy National Chairman, he was ratified as Acting Chairman by the NWC of the Labour Party on April 6 along with three vacancies created by the FCT Court retaining order.
Apapa disclosed that the illegal suspension of the National Youth Leader, Comrade Eragbe Anslem and National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Abayomi Arabambi were reversed and the dou had since been reinstated on 6th April,2023.
Apapa described the resolutions of the meeting held by the Aburi led faction in Asabe on April 18, 2023 despite a court order as null and void.
The Acting National Chairman also declared the Gubernatorial primaries carried out in Imo, Login and Bayelsa States by Aburi leadership as null and void.
“Our party operates under the constitution 2019 as amended as such , all those who participated in the Asaba illegal NEC meeting Apil 18, 2023 have committed contempt of the FCT High Court Retaining Order and have been suspended by the NWC as ratified by the NEC,” he said.
” The action plan for the off-season elections in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi States shall be adopted for implementation by the NEC in session in line with the Labour Party National mobilising plan designed and developed by the office of the National Youth Leader,” he said
Apapa disclosed that the NEC in session shall approve a Caretaker Committee to administer the states without substantive executives national wide for 90 days before conduct of Congress for election of the substantive structures.
“The NEC shall ratified and cater for the exigencies and Board of Trustees,BoT to be ratified for full functionality while the tenure of the NWC shall be extended for one year to prepare for the party’s national convention in 2024,” he said.
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