The quick intervention of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Labour Party (LP) last week saved the party from the plan by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to weaken the party leadership and scuttle the petition filed by its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, challenging the declaration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as presidentelect. A Labour Party member, Lamidi Apapa, had, in the wake of the court order restraining Julius Abure from parading himself as LP National Chairman, declared himself acting Chairman. But the NEC meeting of the LP, which was held in Asaba last week, was summoned to tackle Apapa and other fifth columnists in the party.
The meeting, with officials of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in attendance, suspended Apapa, expelled Arabambi Abayomi, National Publicity Secretary, while the suspended National Youth Leader, Anselm Eragbe, was recommended to the national convention for expulsion. And to further checkmate future fractionalization of the party, the tenure of Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) was extended by one year. Apapa, who was suspended by NEC at its meeting in Asaba, Delta State, last week, was Vice Chairman (South), whereas Ladi IIiya is the Deputy National Chairman, who is supposed to act in the absence of the National Chairman. The assumption of office by Apapa as acting National Chairman was orchestrated to fractionalize the LP and scuttle the petition filed by Obi.
He started immediately to execute the plan of his sponsors by lifting the suspension imposed on the former National Publicity Secretary, Arabambi Abayomi and National Youth Leader Anselm Eragbe and readmitted them into the party. Abayomi was alleged to have worked against LP producing candidates for Lagos and Ogun States, but for the intervention of the party leadership, who engaged another lawyer to handle the appeal against the exclusion of the party’s candidates in the two states by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Throughout the period he acted as National Chairman, Apapa made no attempt to meet Obi. Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, said there was no need for an acting National Chairman because there was court order stopping Abure’s suspension. “They (Apapa group) have an agenda.
Ladi IIiya is the Deputy National Chairman, seconded from the NLC (Nigeria Labour Congress). She is the one who supposed to act in the absence of the Chairman. “But we don’t have acting Chairman because Abure has not been removed. He remains substantive Chairman because a court of competent jurisdiction, in Edo State, has stopped his removal,” Ifoh said. The NLC and 37 state chairmen of the party stood solidly behind Abure. They were also present at the Asaba meeting where normalcy was restored in the party. Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, was also accused of involvement in the LP crisis. Imo is one of the three states INEC plans to hold off-season governorship elections in November this year. Uzodinma, who is seeking a second term in office, is reportedly not comfortable with the wave LP is making in South East, and is working to weaken the party in Imo State.
The LP platform attracted many aspirants, but Athan Achonu, a former Senator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), emerged as LP candidate in the April 15 primaries. This is generating reactions from party supporters. Achonu is alleged to have been sponsored by Uzodinma. A video currently in circulation alleged that the governor gave him $1 million to pay delegates, who voted for him during the primaries. Achonu scored 134 votes to beat his closest rival, Jack Ogunewe, a retired major general, who scored 121 votes. Imo Obedient Movement, after its stakeholders’ meeting in Owerri on April 20, resolved to support Ogunewe, and asked the National Chairman “to quickly implement the recommendation of the Hon. Ceekay Igbara-led Labour Party Appeal committee report published on 16th of April 2023 and recognise Major General Ogunewe “as the authentic flag bearer of the party within the next couple of days or we will ask him to immediately secure the ticket of another party.” According to the group, the appeal committee report clearly captured what transpired in the LP gubernatorial primary election in Imo State and “it looks like what happened during the PDP presidential primaries, which led to the Obidient Movement asking H.E Peter Obi to exit the PDP which he promptly did. “Now, the Obidient Movement in Imo State is asking the peoples ‘General’ to ensure he is on the ballot in the November 2023 Imo State elections even if it means flying another party’s ticket.”
The group alleged massive irregularities before and during the primary election, “starting from the delegate list, which they claimed was manipulated and did not reflect the delegate election most of its members observed across the state and had on camera. “Some delegates that were clearly elected were not allowed to participate in the primaries by the compromised Labour Party Local Government Chairmen.” But Ifoh said the party recognised the primary conducted by Abia State governor- elect, Alex Otti, which produced Senator Achonu. “We have submitted his name to INEC,” he said, stating that the allegations of irregularities have not been proved.
