· Declare Lamidi Apapa, Acting Chairman
· Abure remains LP chairman, NLC insists
The national headquarters of the Labour Party in Abuja, on Thursday, witnessed massive attack by a detachment of the Nigerian Police and thugs allegedly working for the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC).
A statement by the party’s national Chairman, Barr. Julius Abure reported that the invaders who are armed reportedly pulled down the fences, burglaries, doors and windows to have access to the party’s national secretariat and in the process, sacked workers and party members who were at the party as they scampered for their safety.
When our correspondent visited the party’s national secretariat, at the Utako District of the Federal capital Territory, police operatives and thugs had left but the office environment looked ruffled and no staff was on ground as they all ran for safety.
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It was, however, gathered that the development led to the takeover of the secretariat by some members of the National Working Committee of the Labour Party (LP) led by the Deputy National Chairman(South) Lamidi Apapa, who was said to have taken over the affairs of the party following a court judgment restraining Julius Abure and three others from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Lamidi Apapa and his group held an emergency meeting of the LP National Working Committee (NWC), same Thursday, where he declared himself the Acting National Chairman of the party while Saleh Lawan is the Acting National Secretary.
According to him, Abure and the three others must vacate the order of the Federal High Court retraining them before further action could be taken on the leadership of the party.
Speaking further, Apapa, revealed further that NWC also reviewed the suspension of party members and exco that have earlier been suspended by the party leadership, Eragbe Anslem as the National Youth Leader and Yomi Arabambi.
Also, the three other officials who restrained by the court along with Abure were replaced by Alh. Saleh Lawal, Acting National Secretary, Rawland Daramola, Acting Treasurer, and Prince Reuben Favour, Acting Organising Secretary.
“The NWC equally reviewed that recently there are some cases of suspensions that were badly handled. And this National Working Committee meeting as reviewed them, and the suspension all over are hereby reviewed and the officers are reinstated.
“With effect from now, the so called officers whose the court had barred should not parade themselves as officers of the party until cases against them are treated or handled by the party,” Apapa stated.
He equally denied the allegation that the party has been invaded by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the current leadership believes extensively in the presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi.
The NWC meeting also reinstated Executive Council members from Ogun State, Rivers State, and Gombe State.
During the meeting, Lamidi also reversed the suspension of Eragbe Anslem as the National Youth Leader and Yomi Arabambi as the National Publicity Secretary, who were suspended by the Abure led group of the party.
Reacting to the development, Abure said, “Though, I was out of town but information has it that the agenda of the invaders was to inaugurate an illegitimate executive which has been chosen for them by their sponsors.
“This incident is coming days after a similar invasion in our Imo state secretariat which up till now is still being occupied by the agents of the Imo state government.
Continuing, Abure said, “A court of competent jurisdiction only yesterday ordered that I, Julius Abure remains the National Chairman, and should not be restrained from performing my duties, it therefore baffles me why the Nigerian Police should allow itself to be used to perpetrate illegalities.
“Only yesterday, our Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi through the Presidential Campaign Council alerted Nigerians of plot to hound him out of the country over APC’s covert plot in collaboration with some security agents to frame him up allegedly on matters bothering on treason.
“Labour Party is only a political party which is contesting for power. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC having conducted election ranked us third, a position we have rejected and have approached the tribunal to contest. That is our only offence.”
Abure called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call his party, the APC to order and also rein then in from using unorthodox means to suffocate political structures in Nigeria.