LP asks tribunal to disregard Apapa faction’s letter seeking dismissal of Obi’s petition

The Labour Party on Tuesday urged the election petition tribunals to disregard letters written by a faction led by Lamidi Apapa, demanding the dismissal of all petitions, including the one challenging the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinbu, in the February 25 election.

The LP acting National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, who made the call in a statement posted on the party’s website, accused Apapa and his supporters of working to satisfy their paymasters who are determined to truncate the country’s democracy.

The LP has currently embroiled in a leadership crisis with Apapa and the party’s substantive national chairman, Julius Abure, fighting for control of the party.

Apapa, who was the LP Deputy National Chairman, was appointed the acting national chairman following an order by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court which restrained Abure and five others from parading themselves as the party’s national officers.

He was however suspended by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) for alleged anti-party activities last week.

In the statement, the LP spokesman asked the Department of State Service (DSS) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to go after the “enemies of the country’s democracy.”

The statement read: “We are by this statement informing all arms of the judiciary, including the tribunals and courts to ignore the ignoble antics of these compromised suspended members of the party. We are also calling on the police, DSS and EFCC to arrest these enemies of democracy.

READ ALSO: APC to Labour Party: We’re not behind your crisis

“Approaching the tribunals to withdraw all the cases lodged by Labour Party candidates across the board is the height of subterfuge and treachery, and Nigerians will resist this ploy to plunge the nation into unnecessary turmoil.

“Their actions show that they are working against the party and that they are working to destroy the party. If they claim that they have a problem with the national leadership of the party, will they also claim that they have a problem with the candidates of the party? What offence has the candidates of the party committed that they are now moving around to withdraw their matters from the tribunal?

“The leadership of the Labour Party is therefore calling on the tribunals to disregard any letter emanating from our suspended National Legal Adviser, Samuel Akingbade, to the effect that all our cases are to be withdrawn.

“We are also calling on the presidential election tribunal to disregard such letters from these ex-officials of our party asking for the withdrawal of HE Peter Obi’s petition.”

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