The two factions claiming the leadership of the Labour Party clashed Wednesday at the appeals court in Abuja where the party is challenging the declaration of Bola Tinubu as Nigeria’s president-elect.
The party, which won the presidential election in 12 states, has been struggling with a leadership crisis that started after one of its officials, Lamidi Apapa, said after the Feb. 25 election that a court had been appointed him national chairman.
The man who led the party into the crucial polls, Julius Abure, insists he is the chairman of the party. Both men are awaiting a court decision on the matter.
On Wednesday, the party returned to the presidential election tribunal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja for the continuation of its case against Mr Tinubu and his ruling All Progressives Congress. Mr Abure’s supporters, who back the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, saw this as a chance to confront Mr Apapa, whom they described as an “impostor.”
– Trouble starts
Trouble started just before 8.00am when the two sides quarrelled over who had the right to represent the party in court. Later, the Apapa-led faction moved away from the corner assigned to petitioners and sat in the main hall of the court room leaving the Abure-led faction there.
When the matter was called, the presiding judge, Justice Haruna Tsammani refused to recognise any representative for the LP since the two conflicting sides had introduced themselves as representatives of the party, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
VIDEO: Angry Labour Party supporters mob factional national chairman of the party, Lamidi Apapa, at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/I9aVxsaQXZ
— Premium Times (@PremiumTimesng) May 17, 2023
After proceedings, as journalists gathered to speak to the Apapa-led faction, Abure supporters blocked Mr Apapa from the cameras. The supporters dismissed pleas from the reporters that both sides would be heard, saying that Mr Apapa was not the party chairman.
Videos shared online show the youths booing and mocking Mr Apapa, yelling “Ole! Ole! You must not talk, you are an impostor, thief, thief,” prompting the intervention of police operatives.
The security personnel succeeded in shielding Mr Apapa from the youths and taking him back into the court room.
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