The Labour Party (LP) on Wednesday read a Riot Act to party officials, warning that anyone who joins the splinter group led by the suspended Deputy National Chairman, Lamidi Apapa, would be booted out.
It also disclosed plans by detractors to continue to instigate a crisis in the party with the hope of causing instability that would affect the prosecution of its case at the election petition tribunal.
Deputy National Chairman of the party, Mrs Ladi Illiya, who stated this at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday said the party remained united adding that the Trade Union Congress and Nigeria Labour Congress as custodians of the party had given the Julius Abure leadership a clean bill of health.
The Deputy National Chairman urged members not to sell their birthright describing the LP as a responsible party
The party further revealed moves “to have a blanket suspension of all our elected members of our NWC”, as it added that the splinter group has “been dangling carrots to some of our leaders to either join them or be suspended”.
Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, while briefing journalists after a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting in Abuja, regretted that an ex-parte order by Justice Hamza Muazu of the FCT High Court instead of protecting LP amid the imbroglio, exposed it to the machinations of detractors.
A statement released at the meeting which was attended by state Chairmen of the party read in part; “One of the lessons we learnt is that these agents of darkness can go all the way to destabilize a political party by infiltrating its leadership and planting moles who are of course, heavily compromised to ensure that the party loses focus.
“The Hearts of men are desperately evil and who can know it, so says the good book. We also learnt though painfully, that there will always be a Judas in every twelve.
“In our own case about six of our former leaders who are now suspended and led by Lamidi Apapa, a suspended Deputy National Chairman, choose to paint their legs black for a few wards of naira, to betray the worthy course of reclaiming Nigeria. They sold their conscience to the devil and made money their mammon.
“As I address you now, six of them, in furtherance of the directives from their paymasters, are meeting in Bauchi for a fake and unlawful National Executive Council (NEC).
“Surprisingly, this is coming barely two weeks after the party held its very successful NEC meeting in Asaba, Delta state that was attended by virtually all NEC members including 36 state chairmen and Secretaries, all members of the National Working Committee, most of the elected members of the national assembly, leader and presidential candidate of the party, Mr. Peter Obi, party trustees including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) amongst others.
“One of the invitees of the purported NEC is our leader and presidential candidate, Peter Obi who incidentally on Monday was on national television where he referred to these characters as paid agents and hirelings.
“He also made it clear that he had never met with Apapa and that there were no issues in the party and that the reported crisis is just the “rascality” by paid agents bent on derailing the party to pursue justice.
“He said, “In the Labour Party, we have no issue. Barrister Julius Abure is our chairman and those things you’re seeing are just the handiwork of paid agents who are trying to create confusion.”
