Lamidi Apapa
•Our party under Apapa’s leadership will remain focused-— ARABAMBI
Acting National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, has said that expelled and suspended members of the party were being used by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to cause chaos within its ranks.
Ifoh specifically accused the Deputy National Chairman (South) Lamidi Apapa, who he said has since been suspended from the party and the former acting National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, whom he said was expelled by the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, of being the arrow heads of the distabilisation plot.
Ifoh in a statement, in Abuja, yesterday, said: “I had refused to join issues with the expelled former acting National Publicity Secretary of Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi and the suspended Deputy National Chairman, Lamidi Apapa on their mischievous narratives of the ‘May 29 handover’ to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s declared winner of the presidential election.
However, the text of the statement, which was read as commercial in about three television stations in prime time hours suggests that the real sponsors of the crisis in the Labour Party would stop at nothing in ensuring that they sustain the imbroglio.
“The huge financial war-chest being deployed to achieve this inglorious plot to halt a popular aspiration of millions of Nigerians for a new and prosperous nation, leaves a huge gap on the dexterity and desperation of these evil plotters.
“In all Peter Obi’s public and private statements, he has never said or by implication, insinuate that May 29 should be shifted. He is a democrat and he is one person that believes so much in the judiciary as the last arbiter, and that is why he has resorted to the court to seek justice.
“Having said that, we are perturbed by the mouth-piece with which the APC chose to express their fears. The possibility of not making it to Eagles Square on May 29, has continued to give them sleepless night and migraine and has pushed them into deploying an already compromised and fallen members of the Labour Party, led by Apapa and Arabambi as their compere to sing a song danced only by themselves. What we are seeing today is simply ‘the Hand of Esau, Voice of Jacob’.
“Few weeks ago, you will recall how we alerted Nigerians of plots by this faction to withdraw the cases filled by some of our candidates at the tribunals, allegations they are yet to exonerate themselves. We have also alerted Nigerians how these men, who have no known source of income are now flying private jets and living in 5-star hotels.
“This will be the height of the APC’s evil plot and executed by Apapa and his gang to frustrate the peaceful judicial process being witnessed by Nigerians. They are hoping to inject tumultuous scene and probably force the process to a halt.”
Apapa’s leadership will remain focused- ARABAMBI
Reacting, however, Arabambi, said: “The issue here is that Julius Abure and his errand boys, are being sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate to distabilise our polity.
“Let them explain why they are fixated with the results of the APC while leaving that of the PDP that came second, our party’s candidate, Peter Obi, came third, why are they not contesting PDP’s results? It is the same election.
“We remain committed to pursuing the ongoing case at the Elections Petition Trinunal, our party under the able leadership of Lamidi Apapa will not be distracted by mischief makers.”