Acting chairman Apapa denies allegations of running down Labour Party

The acting chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Lamidi Apapa, has denied allegations that he was planted to run down the party.

Apapa insisted that he is the acting national chairman of the LP and enjoys the support of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his followers known as “Obidients”.

“As of today, I am the acting national chairman of the party,” Apapa said on Channels Televisions Sunday Politics.

While many accused him of being sponsored by opponents to destroy the party, the LP acting chairman said the allegations are untrue.

“That is not true. Nobody is sponsoring me. For anybody to now say I want to run down the party, that is a lie.”

He said since a court had ordered four national officers of the party including Abure to stop parading themselves as such, his move is in the right direction.

“Now, if that has happened, what else? The next person should take over,” he said, noting that seven members of the LP National Working Committee (NWC) voted for him as the acting chairman of the party.

The Federal High Court in Abuja last week Wednesday issued an order restraining Julius Abure from acting as the national chairman of the LP.

The party’s Secretary, Farouk Ibrahim, and two others were also stopped from acting as national officials.

Other party officials affected by the order include the National Organising Secretary, Clement Ojukwu, and the Treasurer, Oluchi Opara.

The restraining order was given by Justice Hamza Muazu while ruling on an ex-parte application argued by James Onoja, who told the court how the restrained National officers reportedly forged several documents from the FCT High Court in order to carry out unlawful substitutions in the last general elections.

Justice Muazu then ordered that the four individuals cease acting as national LP officers forthwith.

Apapa who was the deputy national chairman (south) last week declared himself as the LP national chairman.

Some LP state chairmen disowned Apapa who they described as a factional leader, throwing their weight behind Abure as LP chairman.