Acting Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Bashiru Lamidi Apapa talks about the leadership crisis rocking the party, allegations against the substantive national chairman, Julius Abure that culminated in his suspension from office. OSARETIN OSADEBAMWEN, brings excerpts of the interview.
Your party is divided along two sides in the NWC each claiming right to the leadership of the party, what is happening?
I will not say the party is divided; it may be divided in your eyes because of the issue at hand. Even at that, it has nothing to do with crises. It has to do with the reality on ground. The issue is that a court ruling has pronounced that the chairman and three others should stop parading themselves as officials of the party based on an allegation of perjury, forgery, impersonation and so on.. For that, no reasonable person or organisation will allow any vacuum to occur. And that is why we have done what we have done. I am wondering when people say the party is divided. How? Ordinarily, if the chairman is terribly sick, he must expect the deputy to take over the role, in his capacity as the chairman. So, I do not see anything too big in it. In this case, where it is clearly defined, do not do this until you do that, do we have to close the office until we get over it? That is very unreasonable for an institution like the Labour Party, which has its roots in the labour union and wide followership among the Nigerian citizens. That is why this action has been taken.
How do all of these actions protect the singular interest of the party, which is to secure victory at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal?
On the issue of what happened to our principal, Peter Obi, there is no problem at all for the level we have attained. Like me the Acting Chairman, I have never been in any party apart from the Labour Party since I was born. I started as the chairman of the Party for Social Democracy, when the party was formed and few years after, it metamorphosed into the Labour Party. I still maintain the chairmanship. Later, I became the zonal chairman for four years before I became the deputy national chairman. I was one of those who canvassed that we should look for people who will respect the party at the presidential level. When Obi came, I was the one that did the opening prayer, and I canvassed all over for him. How will I now disgrace such a person or say that what we stood for was wrong? It is a lie for anyone to make such insinuations. It is a big lie.
On what we can do to move the party forward, it depends on the former chairman. Once you obey the law, you have no problem. I know that nobody is above the law. The Labour Party Constitution says the constitution is supreme, provided it does not go contrary to the Constitution of the land. Where such a thing occurs, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria prevails. So, this is a criminal matter and anything that is criminal has to do with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is very clear, so I want our people to know that there is no crisis at all in the party. The issue is the misunderstanding of the situation by some people.
Abure has the support of the Forum of state Chairmen of the party. It is a very strong organ of the party, so what does this make of your situation as acting chairman, more so that the Forum members are demanding for due process on the whole matter?
It was the ex-national chairman, Julius Abure, that did something that lacked due process. He invited the state chairmen to his own town in Edo State, using our party money to accommodate them, without the knowledge of the national committee members. But, we did not bother because as the chairman, we gave you that authority that you can do certain things but not to that level. You know somebody can be doing something wrong ignorantly. I want to tell you that they are ignorant of what happened. If they have known that they have committed an infraction, I can tell you that nobody would have appeared.
What are they talking about due process? Where the chairman is not able to perform his role, who takes over? The deputy takes over. When President Muhammadu Buhari was sick the other time, his deputy took over. It was because of the lacuna in the Constitution of Nigeria that the court says you must write before travelling. And that has been amended. Once the Number One in charge is unable to play his role, the next person to him must play the role. It is clear enough. And when you talk of due process, it is the responsibility of the National Working Committee (NWC) to do that. When they were saying we are few in number, it is not the issue of the number now. Even at that, we are more in number that took that decision. The issue is about vacuum; you do not need to create a vacuum in any form and if the right person does not take over, the issue of blocking the vacuum will be valid.
Abure is not sick, so how does he become unable to perform his duty that necessitated a takeover of his position?
No matter how you take it, infraction is not allowed in any form. If he is proud of what he has done, he should come out and face the music. He should not go through the backdoor trying to use an unorthodox system to defend himself.
With the unfolding scenario, it appears the Labour Party is left in your hands to retrieve its mandate in court after the general election?
Yes, until Mr Abure clears himself and returns to office to lead the Labour Party without any issue whatsoever.
Then, what is the position of the Labour party presidential candidate on the current twits in the party leadership?
I will not say yes or no on the question. When we took this decision, I called his line and he did not pick. Whether he is on the side of A or B, at this moment, I do not know. He has not spoken and I cannot quote him whether he is on the side of A or B. however, I believe he will be on the side of the law, given his pedigree.
What measures are you planning to adopt to resolve the leadership challenge so that you can pursue the common goal of retrieving mandate LP said it received from the electorate?
I will only appeal to our teeming supporters, citizens and the leadership of the party across the country that there is no crisis in the Labour Party. The crisis is just the issue of obedience to the law of the land.
If the law says do not do this, avoid it. Every political party is a creation of the law, and by the time you abuse the law, the law will take its course. If the four officers that were asked not to parade themselves as officers step aside, then the party would go ahead. If tomorrow there is another judgment that vacates that order, they will still come back.
The Forum of Chairmen the Labour Party and Abure himself have said that a court order in Benin has ordered that he should not be removed from office. Are you not aware of the order?
Listen to me and let me tell you the difference between the two court orders. The one in Benin has to do with the ward chairman in Benin, where the chairman comes from, they said they suspended him. Now, the chairman went to court and it restrained them from doing so. That was the court in Benin.
The one in Abuja is on a criminal matter; let him come out and defend that. Already, forensic research has taken place; a report has been done, This thing is clear enough. If Abure come up and is able to clear his name, there is no problem. So, there are two different court orders on different issues. The first one was on whether he can be removed by his people. The second one has to do with a criminal matter, which is beyond the party and it is a state issue.
Our party and constitution does not have authority over that. You can only decide on what you have authority. The Labour party does not have authority over the matter in this case. Our president today has immunity but if he goes out and starts killing people on the road, do you think Nigerians will wait for him until after four years?
If Abure is able to defend and absolve himself of these charges, will your faction in the NWC ceasefire?
Definitely yes; I give you the assurance because what we are doing now is about law. That’s all; we are all there in acting capacity. Do I call myself as chairman? I said acting chairman. If he is able to clear himself, I will go back to my position. I am only holding forth so that the image of the party is not undermined by public perception over the allegation against the Comrade Julius Abure. The point is that we must not allow the party to be undermined. That office is not for him as a person; it is an institution that is beyond anybody.
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