The acting National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa has said that lack of respect for the rule of law by the Presidential candidate of the party in the February election, Mr Peter Obi was 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He said that the leadership crisis would not have erupted if Obi had withdrawn recognition from the suspended National Chairman of the party, Mr Julius Abure based on the order of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
Apapa however asked Obi to wade into the dispute objectively with a view to amicably resolving the lingering crisis.
Apapa at a media briefing after his attack at the Presidential Election Petition Court 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 women leaders Mrs Rukayat Umar, Apapa said that what happened at the Presidential court in which 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 if Obi had respected the order of the Federal Capital Territory High court which barred Julius Abure and three other 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 in-spite of the order of the Court and as a presidential candidate seeking justice from the same court of law.
On the alleged receipt of 500 million Naira from external forces to destabilize the party, Apapa denied receiving any money or being influenced by anybody or group to work against the party.
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 West, Mike Ayuba Auta denied the allegation that the All Progressive Congress (APC) was behind the crisis adding that the allegation was baseless and unfounded.
Auta apologized to Nigerians, who he said, gave Labour Party over 6million 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.
N.O
