LP crisis deepens as factions disagree over planned NEC meeting

The Labour Party (LP) says the national executive council meeting planned by Lamidi Apapa-led faction is “illegal, fake and unauthourised”.

The leadership of the party has been experiencing in-fighting since Apapa, who the party said has been suspended, declared himself the acting national chairman following the sack of Julius Abure by a court.

Others said to be suspended were Samuel Akingbade, national legal adviser; Gbenga Daramola, national financial secretary; Anselem Eragbe, national youth leader; and Abayomi Arabambi, national publicity secretary.

In a statement on Tuesday, Obiora Ifoh, LP’s acting spokesperson, said Apapa’s faction is currently planning a NEC meeting after the party successfully held one in Asaba, Delta state capital.

He said the proposed meeting scheduled for May 3 is illegal.

“It has come to the notice of the leadership of the Labour Party of a proposed illegal, fake and unauthourised National Executive Council meeting organised by the suspended deputy national chairman, Lamidi Apapa and his renegade cohorts, expected to hold May 3 in Bauchi state,” Ifoh said.

“This is coming barely two weeks after the party held its very successful NEC meeting in Asaba, Delta state, that was attended by virtually all NEC members including 36 state chairmen and secretaries, all members of the National Working Committee, most of the elected members of the national assembly, leader and presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi, party trustees including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) amongst others.

“In a memo signed by the former deputy national chairman, Apapa, they extended the invitation to some of our elected leaders including our presidential candidate, people they neither supported during their campaigns nor recognised as leaders of the party. These are people they are surreptitiously working to terminate their cases in the various tribunals. We concluded that the temerity to even invite these leaders was purely for publicity ops and stunts which they knew were dead on arrival.

“It is only mischievous minds that will want to obey the FCT high court order without also respecting the Edo state high court order which bars any party agents including these renegades from tampering with the status quo even when they know that both courts are of equal and coordinate jurisdiction.

“Article 13:2A of our party constitution is clear on the composition of the Labour Party NEC, and it did not state that expelled and suspended officers of the party shall regroup and convene a NEC of the party. The question is; who are they hoping to attend the NEC, if not their usual customers; touts, market women, street hawkers.and people who are not members of the party.

“We are using this medium to alert Nigerians that the proposed NEC meeting scheduled to hold on the 3rd of May in Bauchi is illegal. They have no powers to call for NEC, they have been suspended by NEC. This illegal gathering has been reported to the Police, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and they have no intention to monitor the shenanigan. INEC in any case does not even know of any other Labour Party as no court in Nigeria has given any judgement on the case.”

The party also called on the management of the hotel where the meeting is planning to hold, asking that they should refuse offering their venue for the meeting.