In a courtroom drama at the Presidential Election Petitions Court in Abuja on Wednesday, the names put forward as representatives of the Labour Party were dismissed by the court.
Bellnewsonline.com reports that as is customary in court proceedings, parties are required to announce their appearance when the judges enter the courtroom. This allows the lawyers involved in the case to do the same.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, stood up to announce his appearance as the first petitioner. Following him, the Labour Party’s national women leader, Mrs. Dudu Manuga, announced her appearance as the second representative of the party.
However, while Obi and Manuga were speaking, Lamidi Apapa, the factional chairman of the Labour Party, stood up to identify himself.
Despite not being given a microphone, he declared himself as the chairman of the party and interrupted Manuga, asserting that he was the true representative of the Labour Party.
The five-man panel of the court, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, expressed clear displeasure with the unfolding situation. The judge made it clear that they would not recognize anyone claiming to represent the Labour Party. He acknowledged Obi’s appearance as the first petitioner but did not acknowledge any representatives from the party.
Julius Abure, the national chairman of the Labour Party, was present in court but did not announce his appearance.
This development stems from a crisis that arose when two separate courts in Abuja and Edo issued conflicting orders regarding the recognition of different leadership factions within the political party.
Watch the video of the mild drama here.
A mild drama between the two factions of the Labour Party as to which group should be in court took place at the hearing of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal sitting as the doors to the courtroom were opened for lawyers and others to access.#CTVTweets pic.twitter.com/zBwIR2V0iF
— Channels Television (@channelstv) May 17, 2023
The justices arrive to commence the day's proceedings and also refuse to acknowledge the representation of the Labour Party aside from Mister Peter Obi, who is present in court.#CTVTweets pic.twitter.com/Uh1AgfZHKJ
— Channels Television (@channelstv) May 17, 2023