The crisis bedeviling the opposition Labour Party (LP) deepened Tuesday following an alarm that there was a plot by a breakaway faction of the party to scuttle its ongoing suit challenging the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President-elect.
Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Pastor Obiora Ifoh, raised the alarm in a statement in Abuja.
The LP’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, his running mate, Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed and the party are presently at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) asking for the nullification of Tinubu’s mandate.
In the contrary, however, a faction of the party, led by suspended Deputy National Chairman Lamidi Apapa, through its legal representative, has approached the tribunal seeking to discontinue the petition.
But the LP raised the alarm, saying the party and its candidates never mandated anyone to discontinue the legal tussle at the tribunal.
“Daily, the evil intention of the breakaway faction of the Labour Party, led by the suspended Deputy National Chairman, Lamidi Apapa continues to manifest and just this morning, our legal team was confronted by the stark revelation that these men have advanced their plot by approaching all the tribunals where our numerous candidates lodged their election petitions arising from the recently held general election.
“Alongside Lamidi Apapa on the plot to frustrate Labour Party’s destined victory in the tribunals and also to derail the fledgling democracy are some of the suspended members including the Samuel Akingbade, Gbenga Daramola, Anselem Eragbe and Abayomi Arabambi erstwhile National Legal Adviser, National Financial Secretary, National Youth Leader and National Publicity Secretary respectively amongst others.
“Recall that the leadership of the Labour Party has been swimming through the murky waters of conspiracy, treachery and sabotage orchestrated by these former officers of the party.
“We had long suspected that moles were planted to sabotage the efforts of the party to offer Nigerians an alternative to the wicked and clueless governance in place today, but the desperation to satisfy their pay master are beginning to threaten our common peace and of course our democracy.
“Approaching the tribunals to withdraw all the cases lodged by Labour Party candidates across board is the height of subterfuge and treachery, and Nigerians will resist this ploy to plunge the nation into unnecessary turmoil.
“Their actions show that they are working against the party and that they are working to destroy the party. If they claim that they have a problem with the national leadership of the party, will they also claim that they have a problem with the candidates of the party? What offence has the candidates of the party committed that they are now moving around to withdraw their matters from the tribunal,” Ifoh said.
The party further said: “The leadership of the Labour Party is therefore calling on the tribunals to disregard any letter emanating from our suspended National Legal Adviser, Samuel Akingbade to the effect that all our cases are to be withdrawn.
“We are also calling on the presidential election tribunal to disregard such letters from these ex-officials of our party asking for the withdrawal of HE Peter Obi’s petition.
“We also call on the Police, DSS and EFCC to quickly apprehend and question these agents of destruction before they succeed in igniting the nation.”
The pro-Julius Abure group also said the appointment of Ifoh as Acting National Publicity Secretary followed due process as enshrined in the party’s constitution.
“All stakeholders including the state chairmen and their secretaries, Zonal officers, owners and trustees of the party including NLC and TUC, some elected members of the party, as well as the leader and presidential candidate of the party amongst others, met in Asaba on April 18, where I was elected as the National Publicity Secretary due to the vacancy that occurred after the expulsion of the former National Publicity Secretary in line with the powers conferred on it.
“Article 14(2) b Section XIV of the Labour Party Constitution on the Powers and Function of the NEC states “To fill vacancies in the NWC as they may occur from time to time in between National Convention; Also Section XV states; To take disciplinary action against any member or organ of the party as it may seem fit in the interest of the party.
“All relevant government agencies including NEC were present where I was unanimously elected. It is even ludicrous that an imposter who committed a crime and forged signatures upon which he has been suspended over six months ago and for him to turn around to be calling people imposter, I wonder who is the imposter here,” the statement further added.
Moves to halt Tinubu’s inauguration idle – APC
In a related development, there is fresh motion on notice seeking prohibition of Tinubu from being inaugurated as Nigeria’s new president May 29.
The motion was instituted at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
The fresh suit marked CA/CV/259/2023 was instituted by a presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential election and constitutional lawyer, Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru and his political party, Hope Democratic Party (HDP).
But the ruling APC described Owuru as a ‘meddlesome interloper’ seeking public attention.
Responding to the development, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Barr Felix Morka, asked the general public not to take Owuru serious.
Morka, in a response to Blueprint’s request said: “It’s an idle, senseless, and utterly frivolous adventure by an attention seeking, meddlesome interloper, and should not be taken seriously.”
Owuru, who was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1982, is praying the Court of Appeal in Abuja to prohibit President Muhammadu Buhari, Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami, SAN and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from inaugurating the 2023 President- elect on May 29.
The politician, who participated in the 2019 presidential poll on the HDP platform wants Buhari, AGF and as INEC stopped from taking any further steps on the 2023 presidential election that produced Tinubu as winner.
Owuru, who claimed to be adjudged Constitutional winner of the 2019 presidential election predicated his grouse against inauguration of Tinubu or anybody else as successor to Buhari on the ground that he is the constitutionally adjudged winner of the 2019 election and has not spent his tenure as required by law.
Among others, Owuru insisted that President Buhari was usurping his tenure of office since 2019 because the Supreme Court has not determined his petition filed in 2019 in which he challenged the purported declaration of Buhari as the election winner.
In his motion on notice marked CA/CV/259/2023 just filled at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, Owuru applied for “An order of prohibitory injunction compelling Buhari, AGF and INEC, their servants, agents and privies to preserve and give due cognizance and abstain from any further undertaking or engaging in any act of usurpation of adjudged acquired Constitutional rights and mandate as winner of the 2019 presidential election.
He also applied for another order directing and placing on notice that any form of handover inauguration, organized and Superintended by Buhari on 29th May 2023 outside his adjudged winner of the 2019 presidential election, subject of the pending appeal remains and is viewed as an “interim place holder” administration arranged pending the hearing and determination of his substantive appeal on constitutional interpretation thereof.
Listed as respondents in the motion on notice are President Muhammadu Buhari, Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st to 3rd respectfully.
The motion on notice filed on his behalf by Mr Odion Peter has been served on President Buhari and AGF through their counsel, Mrs Maimuna Lami Ashiru of the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja while that of INEC was served through the Head of Legal Department and Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, Mr S. O Ibrahim.
Our correspondent noted that the motion is supported with 8- paragraph affidavit praying the Court of Appeal for expeditious hearing before the inauguration of Tinubu.
The affidavit deposed to by an Abuja based legal practitioner, Adebayo Anafowode and filed at the Court of Appeal in Abuja expressed apprehension that Owuru’s suit against Buhari would be rendered nugatory unless given quick hearing.
Part of the affidavit read “That the applicant (Owuru) is the adjudged 1st in time constitutional winner of the February 16, 2019 presidential election reserves the right of first refusal over any later presidential election returns in the face of usurpation of adjudged acquired constitutional rights.”
Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for hearing of the suit by the Court of Appeal
Ohanaeze laments exclusion on transition c’ttee
Meanwhile, Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide Tuesday condemned the non-inclusion of Igbo indigenes in the transition committee inaugurated by President-elect Tinubu.
The group, in a statement by Its Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, noted that Ndigbo had made all preparations towards supporting Tinubu’s administration even his swearing-in on May 29, 2023, but was greeted by the notable segregation in the committee list.
“Ndigbo will continue to support the President-Elect and ensure that he will be successfully sworn in as the President Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 29th, 2023, and preparations were on top gear for Igbo leadership’s participation in Tinubu’s Presidential inauguration until Igbo omission in Tinubu transition committee lists occurred.
“Ndigbo condemned in strong terms the deliberate attempts to cajole the sacrifices of prominent Igbo sons and daughters to ensure that APC secured 25% votes across the Igbo-speaking provinces, it’s too early for this anti-Igbo hatred to manifest and we call the President-Elect to use his powers to avert this eyesore of fallacy trending and correct this negligence and gaffe, we believe that such correction will be the beginning of the healing process and national reconciliation, ” the statement said.
They further said: “We are looking forward to seeing that the incoming President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu ensures that Southeast gets the President of the Senate and that the formation of the Government of National Unity remains the escape route for National peace and security.
“He should not allow persons with evil intentions against the people of the southeast to send wrong signals that Tinubu has reciprocated Igbo’s supports with disdain and hatred. Once again Ndigbo congratulates the President-elect ahead of the 29th May 2023 inauguration.”
