LABOUR PARTY:Police takes over secretariat following thugs invasion, NWC appoints acting chairman

On Thursday, seven members of the Labour Party’s National Working Committee stated that Lamidi Bashir Apapa, the National Vice-Chairman for the South, would take over as the party’s acting chairman in place of Julius Abure, who had been suspended.

As of the time of publication, stern-looking police officers are in charge of the party’s secretariat.

Speaking following an urgent meeting at the party’s secretariat in Abuja, Apapa claimed that the NWC members had acted in accordance with the Federal Capital Territory High Court’s ruling prohibiting Abure from posing as the LP’s national chairman.

According to reports, in addition to Abure, the court placed three other party executives under house arrest for allegedly forging documents.

The original court documents must also be served on the constrained officials, including Clement Ojukwu, the National Organising Secretary, Umar Farouk Ibrahim, and Abure, the National Secretary, and the National Treasurer, Oluchi Opara.

The judge decided that the ex parte request by the four authorities for an interim injunction restraining them before the court had validity and granted it.

According to Apapa, the NWC also looked into the suspension of party officials who had previously been put on leave by the party leadership.

Alhaji Saleh Lawal, acting national secretary, Rowland Daramola, acting treasurer, and Prince Reuben Favour, acting organizing secretary, took the place of the three other officers who had been restricted.

“The NWC equally reviewed that recently there are some cases of suspensions that were badly handled. And this National Working Committee meeting has reviewed them, and the suspension all over are hereby reviewed and the officers are reinstated.

“With effect from now, the so-called officers who the court had barred should not parade themselves as officers of the party until cases against them are treated or handled by the party”, Apapa stated.

According to Apapa, the NWC also looked into the suspension of party officials who had previously been put on leave by the party leadership.

Alhaji Saleh Lawal, acting national secretary, Rowland Daramola, acting treasurer, and Prince Reuben Favour, acting organizing secretary, took the place of the three other officers who had been restricted.

“The NWC equally reviewed that recently there are some cases of suspensions that were badly handled. And this National Working Committee meeting has reviewed them, and the suspension all over are hereby reviewed and the officers are reinstated.

“With effect from now, the so-called officers who the court had barred should not parade themselves as officers of the party until cases against them are treated or handled by the party”, Apapa stated.

He also refuted the claim that the All Progressives Congress, which is currently in power, had infiltrated the party, adding that Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate, is strongly supported by the present leadership.

But, Abure had already voiced concern in a statement, claiming that the APC had invaded the party’s headquarters in Abuja employing thugs and a detachment of the Nigerian Police Force.

The embattled LP leader claimed that armed intruders allegedly tore down fences, committed burglaries, broke through doors and windows to gain access to the secretariat, and fired employees and party members in the process.

Abure said, “Though, I was out of town but information has it that the agenda of the Invaders was to inaugurate an illegitimate executive which has been chosen for them by their sponsors.

“This incident is coming days after a similar invasion in our Imo state Secretariat which up till now is still being occupied by the agents of the Imo state government.

“Only yesterday (Wednesday), our presidential candidate, Peter Obi through the LP Presidential Campaign Council alerted Nigerians of a plot to hound him out of the country over APC’s covert plot in collaboration with some security agents to frame him up allegedly on matters bothering on treason.

“Labour Party is only a political party which is contesting for power. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has conducted an election that ranked us third, a position we have rejected and have approached the Tribunal to contest. That is our only offence.

“We, therefore, call on President Muhammadu Buhari to call his party, the APC to order and also rein them in from using unorthodox means to suffocate political structures in Nigeria.”