Factional acting chairman of the Labour Party, Bashiru Lamidi Apapa, has disclosed that 11 of the legitimate members of the National Working Committee (NWC) are intact and formed his group of the new leadership of the Labour Party.
He said the NWC had watched with dismay the activities of the embattled Chairman of the Labour Party, Barr. Julius Abure, especially on the use of party funds without recourse to due process, adding that the NWC will investigate Abure over this development.
Apapa, in an exclusive interview with Nigerian Tribune said the Abure overreached himself by using party funds to transport and accommodate party chairmen in Edo State outside the interest of the party and without recourse to the decision of the National Working Committee.
He stated that the Majority of NWC members are on his side until the embattled Chairman of the Party absolves himself of all allegations of perjury, forgery and impersonations.
According to Apapa, “Because he is in charge of our money, he could convey these people to Abuja. He did not use his money, he used party’s money. That will be investigated, he used party money to convey people to Abuja to give him solidarity over illegal things.
“We are sure none of them will tolerate forging of government documents or court documents. I do not think anybody with his right senses will allow such a thing to happen.
“I do not think they will tolerate that level of illegality, forge court documents? He should come out and defend that.”
Analyzing the strength of the NWC, he said “We are eighteen (18) members in the National Working Committee of the Labour Party, one died, reducing the number to seventeen (17), two (2) were suspended: it remained 15.
“Then four (4) of them, cannot appear in the meeting of the national working committee (NWC), they are the chairman, National secretary, the national organizing secretary and the National treasurer. They cannot appear at the meeting; they cannot attend as officials of the Labour party, remove it from 15, you have (11) members left.
“Out of the 11, we are seven (7) on our side, we are still in the majority, in terms of democracy, that is the true calculation, they are running away from and it is the fact that stares us all in the face,” he told Nigeria Tribune.
He said in a democracy where number is germane to power, his faction has the number to lead and decide for the Labour Party until the chairman of the party, faces the allegation and dismantle them, then he can return to lead the party.
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