By Chuks Moses, Awka
The Labour Party appears uncomfortable of an alleged plan by the embattled factional acting national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Alh Lamidi Apapa and his group, to sneak into Awka, the Anambra State capital, on a membership drive, and is warning of dire consequences for mainstream members who contemplate joining the group.
Reacting to the proposed meeting of the group in an Awka hotel by its local promoters, the Anambra State Chairman of the main opposition party in the state, Hon Ugochukwu Emeh, is spitting fire.
Sources say the local promoters of the party’s faction are hiding under pseudonyms for fear of attacks from supporters of LP and her presidential candidate in the February 25, 2023, Mr.Peter Obi,
In a statement issued late Friday, the chairman said, “it has been brought to our knowledge that a notice of meeting is circulating on social media which has one Hon. Peter Okoye and Hon. Chibueze Adirika as acting State Chairman and Secretary respectively, calling for a meeting of Labour Party on Saturday 20thMay, 2023 at King David Hotel, Awka.
“We write to state emphatically that Labour Party, Anambra State is one indivisible entity under the keadership of Hon. Emeh Ugochukwu and Col. Victor C. Ndulue(rtd), as State Chairman and Secretary under Barrister Julius Abure and Umar Farouk as national Chairman and Secretary, with H.E Peter Obi and Yusuf Ahmed Datti as Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates.
“It is worthy to note that Anambra State chapter of Labour Party had earlier passed an unflinching vote of confidence on the national leadership of our great party, ably led by Bar.Julius Abure.
“We therefore disclaim the purported invitation for a meeting by faceless persons in its entirety, as it did not emanate from us and neither did we know anything about the purported invitation or those behind it…”
Hon Emeh further noted that “it is also of interest to state that, the self-acclaimed acting State Chairman and Secretary are not known to us, hence are completely alien to our party and are not members of the State Executive of Labour Party nor even members of the party at any level in the State, Wards or Council areas at all.
“We therefore reiterate further with firm warning that any member of Labour Party/
Executive from Anambra State that attends any such meeting convened by the above-named impostors or their proxies is doing so at his or her own peril and will most likely be sanctioned with expulsion after thorough due diligence with cognizance to the constitution of our great party.
The Anambra State Chairman also pointed out that “We therefore write to state that, they are on a deliberate hatchet mission of their paymasters in an effort to destabilise Labour Party, and make it look like (like) there is division in the State which can cause anarchy to peace-loving people of Anambra State…”
The state party boss went on to accuse the Apapa- led group of five persons of political wishful-thinking and hallucination to illegally assume leadership of the party, with the sole aim of withdrawing the Labour Party’s petition at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. The hearing of the petition, he added, is already progressing well at the tribunal.
Emeh lamented that it was therefore “heartbreaking to see any person from Anambra State being lured into this sinister agenda when the bigger picture is clearly already in the horizon”.
He disclosed that the consequences of jouning the Apapa train would be unpleasant to anyone who fell for it.