The Police have taken control of the Labour Party’s secretariat in Abuja after Lamidi Bashir Apapa, the National Vice-Chairman for the South, was named the party’s acting chairman in place of Julius Abure, who had been suspended.
On Thursday, seven members of the Party’s National Working Committee made the announcement.
Apapa, while speaking after an emergency meeting held at the party’s secretariat in Abuja, said the NWC members acted on the judgement of the Federal Capital Territory High Court which restrained Abure from parading himself as the National Chairman of the LP.
The court also restrained three other officials of the party over alleged forgery. And ordered that the originating processes of the court be served on the restrained officials – Abure, the National Secretary, Umar Farouk Ibrahim; the National Treasurer, Oluchi Opara; and the National Organising Secretary, Clement Ojukwu.
The judge held that the ex parte application for an interim injunction restraining the four officials by aggrieved members of the LP before the court has merit and granted the same.
Apapa told journalists that the NWC also reviewed the suspension of party members and exco that had earlier been suspended by the party leadership.
The three other officials restrained were also replaced by Alhaji Saleh Lawal- acting National Secretary, Rowland Daramola- acting Treasurer, and Prince Reuben Favour – acting Organising Secretary.
“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 denied the allegation that the party has been invaded by the ruling All Progressives Congress, saying the current leadership believes extensively in the presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi.