The Julius Abure-led group of the Labour Party (LP) has warned that any elected member found to be in support of Lamidi Apapa, the suspended acting national chairman, risks having his seat declared vacant.
Information Nigeria reports that the leadership crisis escalated further on Wednesday with the Julius Abure and Apapa factions holding separate National Working Committee (NWC) meetings in Abuja and Bauchi respectively, giving different stances on issues.
They concluded further that other members that lend their loyalty to the suspended national chairman (South) could be expelled.
However, the Apapa group at the Bauchi meeting announced that it had pardoned LP’s presidential candidate for the February 25 election, Peter Obi and his running-mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed for attending Abure’s meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) in Asaba, Delta State, last month.
Though the pardon is part of a 19-point communique issued by Apapa and acting National Secretary, Saleh Lawan, the reason behind the pardon was not disclosed.
Recall that the LP leadership crisis broke out when the Federal High Court in Abuja barred the National Chairman (Abure) and three others from parading themselves as national officers of the Party.
Apapa assumed the role of acting chairman, pending when the order of the court would be vacated but the Abure–led NWC, however, refused to recognise Apapa’s leadership.
Ladi Illiya, LP’s Deputy National Chairman, at the Abuja meeting described the Bauchi meeting as fake and unconstitutional.
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According to him, those behind the “contrived leadership rumblings” within the LP did not wish it well.
Illiya said: “Those who are gathering in Bauchi in an attempt to hold a fake and unconstitutional National Executive Council(NEC) meeting do not represent our party.
“We held our authentic constitutionally approved NEC meeting in Asaba, Delta State about two weeks ago. At the meeting, we had all the state chairmen and secretaries from the 36 states as well as the Abuja chairman and secretary in attendance. Who then are the NEC members in Bauchi?
Obiora Ifoh, LP’s Acting National Publicity Secretary, alleged that there were plans by “detractors” to continue to instigate crisis in the Party.
According to Ifoh, Apapa supporters have “been dangling carrots to “some of our leaders to either join them or be suspended.”
His words: “One of the lessons we learnt is that these agents of darkness can go all the way to destabilise a political party by infiltrating its leadership and planting moles who are of course, heavily compromised to ensure that the party loses focus.
“We urge the members of the public and our teaming supporters to continue to disregard the activities of Apapa and his cohorts, particularly the so-called NEC meeting in Bauchi.
“Today, all chairmen and secretaries, NWC members are here. So who are they meeting with in Bauchi? Their desperation and the haste to satisfy their paymasters are high.”
