Factional Chairman of the Labour Party, Comrade Lamidi Apapa, has said that he was not being recognized by Peter Obi and the Director General of the Obi/Datti Campaign Organisation as the National Chairman of the Party on a religious basis.
He said he remained the only elected National Deputy Chairman of the Labour Party while the other two were of their respective platforms from Labour Party (LP) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Apapa had to deal with bitter exchanges inside the tribunal over sitting arrangements on Wednesday.
He was booed by the party’s supporters as he emerged from the tribunal, while his cap was pulled off his head.
But speaking on Channels TV Thursday morning, Apapa said Obi was supporting Abure who was removed by the court.
He added that Obi’s weakness is manifest in his religious leaning because it is the way he operates.
“I do not want to say this in public but I have to say it. Obi is a Christian, Abure is a Christian, Osuntokun is a Christian, I am the only one that is a Muslim. This is the way he operate.
He pointed out that the non-recognition of his person by Obi at the court was preceded by a meeting where this group and the Abure group met to decide who would recognise the party at the court since Abure had no such powers being restrained by the Court to stop parading himself as chairman of the Party with four others.
Apapa said he was only acting as the chairman of the Labour Party pending when all allegations in Comrade Julius Abure are cleared, then he would return back as deputy national Chairman which he is.
He alleged that Obi’s harassment and assault at the court on Wednesday was premeditated.
“They wanted to lynch me, that is the handiwork of Abure and Peter Obi, he organized it.
Apapa also denied he had collected bribes from other political parties to destroy LP from within.
“On the allegation of bribe-taking, it’s not true. If you have evidence to prove, bring your evidence that I have collected money or we’ve collected money from anybody. It’s absolutely untrue,” Apapa said.
“On Peter Obi taking sides, I don’t want to expose him, but he deserves to be exposed. Some time ago, in one of the interviews he (Obi) granted, he said he did not know me at all.
