By Yemi Oyeyemi, Abuja.
It all began within the courtroom being used by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) on Wednesday at the Court of Appeal premises in Abuja
Factional Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Lamidi Apapa, sought to dislodged the Director General of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Council, Akin Osuntokun, from his seat, but was rebuffed in a show that entertained those already in courtroom.
The Secretary to the Tribunal, Josephine Ekperobe, waded in and resolved the drama, noting there was adequate space to accommodate all.
The drama was not over. As soon as the Tribunal resumed and the case was called, Peter Obi announced an appearance for himself. But as soon as the National Woman Leader, Dudu Manuga, announced an appearance for the Labour Party, Apapa would have not none of it. Again, voices were raised.
Impatient with the face off, the five-member panel of justices led by Haruna Tsammani declined to record any representation for the party.
As if the drama within was not enough, Apapa was subjected to a humiliating experience as he was booed, jeered and called names, as he stepped out of the courtroom, by a motley crowd of LP supporters.
Shouts of “Ole”, “thief”, among others, rented the air, preventing him from addressing journalists. He had to be escorted to the area where he parked his car by security men and some of his own supporters.
But Apapa has said that a lack of respect for the rule of law by Obi, is responsible for the leadership crisis rocking the party.
He said that the leadership crisis would not have erupted if Obi had withdrawn recognition from the suspended National Chairman of the party, Mr Julius Abure, based on the order of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
He asked the presidential candidate to wade into the dispute objectively with a view to amicably resolving it.
Apapa, at a media briefing after his attack at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja on Wednesday, demanded that Obi must be unbiased in order to get the disputed chairmanship tussle resolved.
At the media briefing attended by the Deputy National Chairman of the party in the North, Mike Ayuba Auta; National Publicity Secretary, Olufemi Abayomi Arabambi; and one of the party’s women leaders, Mrs Rukayat Salihu Umar, Apapa said that what happened at the Tribunal in which a fracas broke out in the presence of Peter Obi, was disgraceful and a test to Obi’s leadership quality.
Apapa said that the leadership crisis would have been put behind them had Obi respected the order of the Federal Capital Territory High court which ordered Julius Abure and three others from parading themselves as National Officers of the party over their indictment for forgery and perjury.
Tracing the genesis of the leadership crisis, Apapa said that immediately the order of court was served on the party, he was unanimously selected in acting capacity as the National Chairman of the party.
He said that it was wrong of Obi to be according respect to Abure inspite of the order of the court, since he is also seeking justice from the same court of law.
On the alleged receipt of N500 million from external forces to destabilise the party, Apapa vehemently denied receiving any money or being influenced by anybody or group to work against the party.
He also said that it was wrong of Peter Obi to have claimed not knowing him adding that he worked closely and even travelled in the same flights with Peter Obi throughout his Presidential electioneering campaign.
He, therefore, appealed to Obi to be open minded, neutral and objective so as to be able to stop the crisis.
Also speaking at the briefing, the Deputy National Chairman of the Party in the North, Mike Ayuba Auta, denied the allegation that the All Progressive Congress (APC) was behind the crisis, because the allegation was baseless and unfounded.
Auta apologized to Nigerians, who he said, gave Labour Party over six million votes during the last presidential election, adding that they should not be discouraged by the current leadership crisis and assured that the dispute will soon be resolved.