Emameh Gabriel writes that there appears to be no end in sight to the crisis rocking Labour Party at the national level.
Barely three months after the general elections, Labour Party, otherwise known as Third Force Movement, is still enmeshed in internal squabbles that currently threaten its existence.
With a parallel National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, parallel screening of governorship candidates, parallel primaries in three states and with two factions of the party laying claim to the leadership of the party, more serious turbulence seems to await Labour Party.
The Bashiru Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the party is bent on having its pound of flesh on the embattled National Chairman, Julius Abure and his loyalists in the party.
The stiff resistance by one faction in one hand and the flexing of muscle between factional leaders of the party who are currently laying claim to the legitimacy of the party’s leadership gives the impression that there is more to it.
More so, the legitimacy of the Abure led National Working Committee will be further reinforced if Justice Hamza Muazu of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) vacates an interim order restraining Abure from his position as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.
Recall that the judge had on April 5 issued an order restraining Abure as well as the National Secretary, Alhaji Farouk Ibrahim; National Organizing Secretary, Oluchi Opara and National Treasurer, Clement Ojukwu from parading themselves as leaders of the Labour Party pending the hearing of a suit seeking their sack over allegations of fraud, among others. The order followed a suit challenging Abure and his co defendants’ continued stay in office.
Justice Hamza Muazu had fixed May 12 to decide on whether or not to lift the suspension order placed on the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Chief Julius Abure and others from parading themselves as officers of the party.
The court had upon an ex parte application on April 5, restrained Abure, Alhaji Farouk Ibrahim (National Secretary); Oluchi Opara (National Treasurer); and Clement Ojukwu (National Organising Secretary), from further parading themselves as party officials.
Similarly, on Monday April 17, Justice Muazu declined a request to vacate the interim order restraining Abure, Ibrahim, Opara and Ojukwu from further parading themselves as national officers of Labour Party.
At the resumed hearing of the suit on April 17, Abure and his co defendants in their preliminary objections had maintained that the suit borders on leadership crisis, which they argued, is an internal affair of the party.
Arguing through their counsel, Ben Nwosu, the defendants insisted that the issue being an internal affair of the party, cannot be adjudicated upon by any court.
It was the argument of the defendants that the suit was incompetent and that the court lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
On their part, the eight claimants represented by George Ibrahim, asked the court to dismiss the defendants’ preliminary objection and grant their reliefs accordingly for being meritorious.
Ibrahim told the court that the Claimants have also filed contempt proceedings against Abure, his co-defendants and the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress for allegedly acting in breach of an existing order of court.
He informed the court that in spite of the subsisting interim order, the defendants went ahead and held an executive council meeting.
After taking arguments from counsel involved in the matter, Justice Muazu fixed May 12 to rule on the preliminary objections which is to determine whether the suspension order would continue against Abure or not.
But sources in the party who spoke with THISDAY in confidence lamented the continue delay in the process to vacate the order raises salient questions about the sincerity of the court.
Recall that on April 6, seven members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Party, announced the replacement of the suspended chairman of the party, Julius Abure with the National Vice-Chairman (South), Lamidi Bashir Apapa, as the acting chairman of the party.
Speaking after an emergency meeting held at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, Apapa said the NWC members acted on the judgement of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court which restrained Julius Abure from parading himself as the National Chairman of the party.
Apapa had told THISDAY that he would vacate office as soon as the court vacates its initial order. But the crisis seems to have taken another dimension despite calls and advice by interested parties on the warring factions to shield the sword now to resolve the crisis as events in days/weeks ahead may likely get messier.
Allegations and counter allegations
The Abure-led faction has continued to allege that the opposition has infiltrated the party using some of its members to undermine the party’s petition at the election petition tribunal, specifically, the petition brought before the court by its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
They have accused Apapa and his team of selling out to the opposition. But Apapa has also continued to dismiss the allegation, pledging his loyalty to Peter Obi and the cause the party had set out for.
Apapa said in his position as pioneer member of the party, he cannot descend to destroying a house he built.
Arabambi alleges threat to life
The embattled National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, has raised the alarm over threat to his life insisting that he remains the party’s national spokesperson
Arabambi in a petition written to the Inspector General of Police and the Director of DSS, and made available to THISDAY, said that he has contributed “to the progress and development of our Political Part (LP) for the past 14 years including being a Plaintiff or Defendant in defence of the Labour Party”.
In the petition, he said he has acted in the capacity of the National Publicity Secretary of the party projecting the good image and reputation of the party in line with its lofty ideals and objectives as stated in the Labour Party’s constitution.
He alleged that “since after the Ward Executive of the Labour Party in Arue Ward 03, Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State suspended Julius Abure as a member of the Labour Party, he has “been inundated both day and night with calls from persons in Anambra State, Abia State, Enugu State, Imo State, Edo State and FCT using various phone numbers unknown to me, threatening me to withdraw the suit or get killed or assassinated and that nothing will happen”.
According to him: “Since this threat to my life began; I have been living daily in fear and apprehension of losing my life or that the untoward could happen to me all as a result of the threats to life that I have been receiving from various persons claiming to be acting for or on account of the persons who are the subject of this petition.
Arabambi explained that the action (of assuming leadership position) taken by the seven NWC members of the party was informed by a Constitutional infraction from a Suit No: FCT/HC/CV/2329/2023 Between Martins Esikpali John O. & 7 Ors v. Julius Abure & 4 Ors at the F.C.T High Court, Abuja.
NLC’s involvement
Recall that the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress had on April 17 stormed the national headquarters of Labour Party in Abuja to show solidarity with the embattled National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure.
Addressing workers and journalists who accompanied them to the party office, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said the labour movement would resist any plot to derail the party, especially now that it was enjoying wide acceptance by Nigerians.
Commenting on the involvement of the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Arabambi said “Joe Ajaero and Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja who led other members of the NLC in company of Julius Abure and to the Labour Party Secretariat and forcefully opened the gate of the office”, acted contrary to a subsisting court order.
He said: “The NLC President ordered Julius Abure and others to resume duties in their capacities as National Executives of the Labour Party without regard to the lawful and subsisting order of Court”
Arabambi concluded by asking the police to investigate his allegations and track the numbers he provided in his petition to unmask those behind the threats.
According to him: “I am living under constant fear that my life is greatly in jeopardy and no longer safe and any more delay in investigating and unmasking the identity of these evil individuals wishing to do the untoward to me may give them the edge to carry out their threat to my life.
“I sincerely call for the quick intervention of your good office to save my life. I am therefore, most respectfully requesting for your investigation in this matter in order to nib in the bud the suspected persons subject of this petition”.
