By Charles Adingupu
Defiant factional National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Lamidi Apapa, who was attacked by a mob and told to stay away from the court premises the last time he appeared there, on Friday returned to the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja to witness proceedings.
Mr Apapa, whose claim to the leadership of the party was strengthened by a recent court order, was mobbed by suspected party supporters during Wednesday’s hearing in the case Labour Party filed to challenge the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.
Labour Party supporters who were suspicious of his intentions as a result of what they considered his dubious stand on the issue of the petitions, had attacked him after Wednesday’s proceedings for daring to represent the party during the sitting of the court.
Mr. Apapa barely escaped being lynched by an angry mob as men of the Nigerian Police Force, NPF came to his rescue.
Shortly after the ugly incident, Mr. Apapa and his estranged team held a press conference where he told the world that the LP presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi was a liar for claiming that they had never met.
The factional National Chairman had vowed to register his presence at the next Court sitting holding on Friday despite what he described as intimidation and threat to his life.
His presence at the resumed hearing of the case today in the Court was a fulfilment of that promise. He was dressed in a simple T-shirt and trousers and took his seat on the back row flanked by his supporters.
Mr Julius Abure, the other factional chairman of the party and Akin Osuntokun, Director General of Peter Obi’s presidential campaign council were seated at the litigants’ gallery.
Mr Apapa and Abure have been entangled in a tussle over the leadership of the party.
The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, had earlier restrained Mr Abure from parading himself as the national chairman of Labour Party.
Subsequently, Mr Apapa stepped into the void created by Mr Abure’s suspension.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, Mr Apapa was booed and attacked when he attempted to brief journalists on behalf of Labour Party shortly after the day’s sitting.
However, vowing to assert his authority as LP chairman, Mr Apapa appeared on the court premises at 7:30 a.m on Friday.
The crack in the party’s leadership widened after it lost the presidential election.
The party’s presidential candidate, Mr Obi, is challenging the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu’s victory as Nigeria’s President-elect.
Mr Obi, who came third in the February presidential election, is urging the court to set aside Mr Tinubu’s election on account of fraudulent practices by Nigeria’s electoral commission, INEC.
He was at the court for Friday’s proceedings where the five-member panel led by Haruna Tsammani will hear Mr Obi’s request for a live broadcast of the court’s sittings.
