The factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, Lamidi Apapa, has announced his unwavering determination to return to the Presidential Petition Tribunal despite facing harassment during Wednesday’s proceedings.⁰
Earlier this week, Apapa found himself embroiled in a heated altercation with party members over seating arrangements within the courtroom. Consequently, he was met with jeers and forced to leave the court premises, as supporters of the party’s national chairman, Julius Abure, expressed their disapproval.
The court, acknowledging the dispute between the two factions, refused to recognize either and adjourned the hearing to Friday, May 19.
Undeterred by the previous day’s events, Apapa declared during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Thursday that he would resolutely appear in court on Friday.
Furthermore, he made serious allegations against the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, and the suspended National Chairman, Julius Abure. According to Apapa, they allegedly orchestrated the deployment of thugs to assault him and forcibly remove him from the Presidential Petition Tribunal on Wednesday.
Apapa emphasized that his presence in court was driven by his sense of responsibility as the genuine acting National Chairman of the party and his duty to exercise authority as the party’s representative.
He said: “It was my responsibility as the authentic acting National Chairman of the party to exercise my authority as representative of the party.”