Politics

LAMIDI Apapa, suspended deputy chairman and factional chairman of the Labour Party was sighted in the court today fighting for a seating position inside court. Apapa and his team were caught in a viral video arguing furiously over seats inside the courtroom where the case of Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential Candidate versus Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC was to take place but found that the seats have already been taken by the supporters of Obi who are also members of Labour Party.

However, the Presidential Election Petition Court on Wednesday, May 17, in Abuja refused to recognize the two factions laying claims to the national leadership of the Labour Party, LP.

In the presence of the presidential candidate of the party in the last general elections, Peter Gregory Obi, two factions of the party had engaged themselves for recognition and to be recorded as the official representatives of the party in the pre-hearing of Obi’s petition.

The battle for recognition was ignited by Dudu Maluga, who sat by Obi’s right-hand side and introduced herself as National Women Leader of the Labour Party and representative of the party in the petition.

Drama erupted when another faction sitting opposite Obi murmured loudly and sought to be recognised as the authentic leaders of the party.

One of them, who introduced himself as Bashiru Lamidi Apapa, got up and announced himself as the party’s acting national chairman.

Following the confusion that ensued, the chairman of the Court, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, ruled against the two factions that the court would not recognize or record their respective presence as representatives of the party.

The two factions were, however, allowed to remain in the courtroom but without being recognized.

Obi, who was in the court to witness proceedings, kept mute while the drama lasted.

Similarly, the suspended National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure, who sat closest to Peter Obi, did not intervene throughout the drama.

Indications that the two factions would clash first emerged during the struggle to enter the courtroom, with both factions claiming and counter-claiming to be authentic leaders of the party.

It took efforts of the security operatives in the court before security breaches could be averted. – with reports from the Daily Post

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Tags: Julius Abure Labour Party Lamidi Apapa Peter Obi