Lamidi Apapa maintains that he is the acting National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) and has the backing of the party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi’s supporters, dubbed “Obidients.”
Following a new legal battle within the party, the deputy national chairman (south) declared himself the LP national chairman last week. Following the development, Labour Party state chairmen in the federation’s 36 states disavowed the factional leadership and backed Julius Abure as the party’s leader.
However, Apapa maintains that he is the party’s acting national chairman.
“As of today, I am the acting national chairman of the party,” he said when he appeared on Channels Televisions Sunday Politics.
While many accused him of being sponsored by opponents to destroy the party, the LP chieftain refuted the claims. He said as a foundational member of the LP, he won’t do such.
“That is not true. Nobody is sponsoring me,” Apapa maintained.
“For anybody to now say I want to run down the party, that is a lie,” the LP chieftain added.
He says since a court had ordered four national officers of the party including Abure to stop parading themselves as such, his move is in the right direction.
“Now, if that has happened, what else? The next person should take over,” he said, noting that seven members of the LP National Working Committee (NWC) voted for him as the acting chairman of the party.
Although some of the party’s supporters have faulted him for the move, Apapa says he enjoys the backing of Obi’s growing support base called “Obidients”.
“I think so,” he said when asked if Obi’s supporters are behind him. “When you say Obidients’ side, are they not Nigerians?”
When queried further if he is conversant with the “Obidient” movement, some of whom have criticised his action, he claimed those ones are acting out of ignorance.
“Let me tell you if they know what transpired, they will know they are acting out of ignorance,” he said.