Apapa vows to appear again at tribunal two days after assault

The acting National Chairman of the Labour Party, Lamidi Apapa, has vowed to show up at the ongoing Presidential Election Petition Tribunal again on Friday.

Apapa disclosed this to our correspondent in an interview held at his hotel room in Abuja on Friday.


The LP acting chairman, who admitted receiving several threats following his clash with some angry supporters suspected to be members of the Obidient movement, disclosed that nothing will stop him from making another appearance at the court on Friday.

“Why should I run? It is my position as the acting national chairman to be there. I won’t run away from my responsibility just because some random people are calling and sending me death threats,” he bemoaned.

The PUNCH reported that some aggressive supporters believed to be loyal to the suspended National Chairman, Julius Abure, strongly resisted journalists from interviewing the Lamidi Apapa-led faction.

The group waited to block the interview with Apapa and booed him while chanting “Ole” (thief).

To curtail the chaos, the police had to ward off the determined protestors who followed him and attempted to block him from entering his car to leave the premises.

Narrating the psychological trauma he suffered at the tribunal, an embittered Apapa fingered LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Abure as being the brain behind the attack that befell him.

“Before the assault, I was warned that if I showed up to court, I would be dealt with. They also texted me, saying Obi said he will not give me recognition as the acting National Chairman of the party. I was even more surprised to hear Obi saying he doesn’t know or met me before.

“But I showed up at the court even without police escort. And just as they threatened, I was really dealt with. That was why I accused Peter Obi and Abure of being behind the attack.”

When asked if he was prepared to go to the court with security operatives, Apapa insisted that he won’t and further dared his assailants to carry out their threats again.

“I am still going to the court tomorrow with Arabambi and other party members. And I am going there without any security. Let them do whatever they want to do to me.

“They accused me of collecting money from the APC. But I am telling you, I didn’t collect kobo from anybody and I challenge them to produce evidence to prove I did,” he fumed.

In a similar vein, the expelled former publicity secretary and spokesman of the Apapa faction, Abayomi Arabambi, has accused Abure of receiving N500m bribe from the delegation of former Akwa Ibom Governor, Godswill Akpabio to promote his Senate presidency ambition among LP lawmakers-elect.

This was even as he disclosed that Abure deliberately refused to submit the party’s candidates’ list to the Independent National Electoral Commission, an act that put the party in danger of losing the governorship and senatorial seats it had won in both Abia and Kano States.

He said, “What is Abure doing with Akpabio? These are the people they took to court claiming they have a stolen mandate. They are playing on the intelligence of Nigerians. Obi will not see now that they are working against the party because all of them will share in the money they collected.

“We may lose the only Governor we have, which is in Abia and also our positions in Kano because Abure failed to submit the register in line with the electoral act.

“Abure should know that all his statements claiming to be the National
Chairman of Labour Party is an affront on the law and a serious criminal contempt which could send him to a maximum 90 days in prison. He should know for emphasis sake that the court has issued an order restraining him and three others.“

Arabambi also corroborated Apapa’s earlier resolution to storm the tribunal on Friday despite the threats to their lives.

“We have been receiving threats to life, warning us to stay away from the tribunal. You saw what happened there yesterday. Let it be noted that I have before now on several occasions raised the alarm over the threat to my life by people working closely with Abure.

“After yesterday’s staged attack by thugs hired by Abure to attack us at the presidential election petition tribunal, One Omooba, a member of LP in Alimosho Local Government had directed all Peter Obi supporters to come out in large numbers tomorrow to attack and deal ruthlessly with us. But we will go there whatever they want to do to us they should do,” he stated.

Reacting to the allegation, Abure who held another press conference some hours later disclosed that his hands are clean.

He said: “An opposition political party says it is coming to visit you. It is only fair that you listen to what they are coming to say. And so we obliged them the opportunity to solicit our support.

“But we made it abundantly clear that the responsibility to appoint Senate President is that of the legislature. I also want to make it very clear that no money was given to me during or after their visit.”