Drama As LP Factional Leaders Clash Over Seats At Presidential Tribunal

There was a mild drama at the presidential election petition court on Wednesday as the factional leaders clashed over seats.

The Lamidi Apapa, factional national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), confronted Akin Osuntokun, director-general of Peter Obi’s presidential campaign council upon the former’s arrival into the courtroom.

The altercation started when the courtroom was opened for lawyers and litigants at about 8:05am for the day’s proceedings.

Osuntokun and other party bigwigs were already seated in the plaintiffs’ gallery when Apapa and his colleagues approached them and demanded that they give up their seats.

Apapa claimed that, as the rightful head of the Labour Party, he belonged in the plaintiffs’ gallery.

But Osuntokun refused to vacate his seat, insisting that Apapa had no right to take the seat.

As the argument continued, Apapa raised his voice, saying, “Get up, you can not sit down here!”

It took the intervention of the secretary of the presidential election petition court, Josephine Ekperobe to defuse the heightened tension in the courtroom over the row between the two leaders.

As if that was not enough, the drama still continued when the case was called, and Obi announced appearance for himself.

The national woman leader of the party, Dudu Manuga announced appearance for the party but was quickly opposed by Apapa.

In the heat of the tension, the five-member panel of justices led by Haruna Tsammani refused to record any representation for the party.

Later when the Labour Party matter was called, Obi and the party’s Women Leader, Dudu Manoga, introduced themselves on the record of the court.

But when Apapa stood up to introduce himself as the National Chairman, the presiding justice of the court, Justice Haruna Tsammani, requested him to stop the introduction as the court would not recognise the ‘National Chairman’ on record.

Abure, who sat next to Obi, did not, however, attempt to introduce himself.

Apapa had earlier vowed to take control of the party and to withdraw the petition and motions before the court ahead of the sitting following the ruling of an FCT High Court sustaining Abure’s suspension. The LP has since appealed the ruling.

 

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During Wednesday’s sitting, the LP’s lawyers, the lawyers to Bola Tinubu, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are expected to show the extent of their harmonisation of non-contentious issues and motions to be relied upon during the main hearing.

The suspended national chairman of LP, Julius Abure was also present in court.

 

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