Abayomi Arabambi, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, has alleged that the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has instructed some thugs and supporters to attack him and others belonging to the Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the party.
Arabambi said this in an interview with TVC News on Wednesday, while addressing a drama that occurred at the hearing of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting earlier in the day.
SaharaReporters on Wednesday reported that the drama started when Lamidi Apapa, factional chairman of the party, walked into the court premises alongside some of his supporters and attempted to sit where Labour Party officials were and a shouting match ensued between his camp and the camp of the erstwhile national chairman, Julius Abure.
Addressing the issue, Arabambi said, “But before we arrived in that court today, we place it on record before Nigerians that Peter Obi had some people to call us for a meeting which we were to meet 6 pm today.
“At that meeting, I had their text messages on my phone. We told them the national chairman will be representing the Labour Party, they said no. Peter Obi has decided who is going to run, who is going to represent the party. We told them no; Peter Obi does not own Labour Party. He was just a candidate and therefore he will not be giving us instructions in the end of the day.
“Because their preliminary objection has been dismissed, there is no any faction in Labour Party because this is the lawful thing to be done. So when we saw them in the court this morning, Osuntokun was on the seat where the national chairman was supposed to sit today.
“And we went to meet him, please, you need to stand up from here. You are not Labour Party, campaign has ended. Please get the hell out of this seat, and he started raining abuses on us.
“After that, we saw some people that we have known before. The guy you are seeing there his name is Ejike, the other person is Kennedy… (Ahanotu), he was the one that sent me text message yesterday that if Apapa should come to that court, we will be lynched, and they have the instructions of Mr Peter Obi to waste anybody.
“That they have been killing people in Imo state and nobody do anything. We dared him and told him we are going to come. But low and behold, he came with those criminals with Peter Obi, all of them came in together.
“They pretended they did not see us in the court. When appearances were asked to be done. He stood up and introduced himself as Peter Obi and one other woman who has been suspended by the NEC of our party claimed to be national woman leader and Alhaji Apapa also stood up in the court, and the judges in their opinion said okay, if there is crisis in the party, we will not take both sides, definitely only PO will be going ahead with the petition which we are going to challenge because we are going to ask our lawyer on Friday to come and take over Labour Party because we can’t be in election tribunal, only the candidate is arguing the matter.”
A screenshot of WhatsApp messages obtained by SaharaReporters revealed a chat between Arabambi and Ahanotu, with the latter referring to the court incident and saying, “It’s a joke taken too far.
“Henceforth tell them to desist from that pls. Anyday I come to Ogun I’ll call you. I’ll not hide to do any business.
“If you toil with Peter Obi, it will be ur worst decision, and u II regret such a thought. Don't use Obi to practice ur drama cos obidient Nigerians will respond to you in ur own coin. I v just advised u as a friend. He won his election nd ur sponsors can't stop a vision whose time has come. Obi knows u didn't work for him, u didn't give him any result, likewise ur colleagues. Show us ur state result b4 u attempt to show such solidarity in tribunal. Appearing to support him in court will be termed the height of insult, and I tell u It may not be fun.”
But in a phone conversation with SaharaReporters, Ahanotu denied ever threatening Arabambi.
“Does that look like a threat? There was nothing like threats. I didn’t threaten my friend, Arabambi. I have nothing personal against him. This is an institutional matter so why would I be threatening him? Even if the matter was personal, I would never threaten him. I know the law. I was only advising him as a friend that he should not go against Obi.
“We are in Nigeria; we know what happens to people who go against Obi. So I was only advising him. I know what the position of the majority of Nigerians is on this matter and they are with Obi.
“Ask them if they ever called Obi to meet him in his office or contact us to have a meeting, so why did they just appear in court? Someone is fighting for his mandate and you went to court to do all that.
“Have you ever seen the chairman of a party in court? The PDP is also in court, has their chairman been going there? What was Apapa doing in court? Abure was in court because of his relationship with Peter Obi; they have been in the struggle together.”
In another screenshot obtained by SaharaReporters, one Omoba urged Obi’s supporters, popularly called ‘Obidients’ to attack Apapa and other members of his camp.
Omoba said, “Lamidi Apapa is live in ARISE TV morning show and the Babalawo is insisting he will be at the Tribunal Court tomorrow. My advice for Abuja Obidients is to come out in their large numbers tomorrow and deal with this man and his group most especially Abayomi Arambambi who is the main man behind these whole drama.”
“Eyaaaaaah,hmmmmmm u escaped,.. Get prepared for the next court hearing, everyone in this group will follow u,,, Has baba found his missing cap yet?” another Obidient said in another message.
However, Comrade Eragbe Anslem, the National Youth Leader alleged that Abure sponsored the mob action against Apapa and his camp on Wednesday.
He said this in a message titled, ‘Labour Party LP: Abure's Sponsored Mob Action Against Alhaji Lamidi Bashiru Apapa Acting National Chairman of Labour Party LP & NWC members at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, PEPT Appeal Court Abuja FCT. Wednesday 17th May, 2023.’
He said, “That Julius Abure has been restrained by the FCT High Court from parading himself as National Chairman of Labour Party LP on 5th April, 2023 over: FORGERY, PERJURY AND CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY with financial malfeasance to over (N400,000,000.00) four hundred million naira.
“That Julius Abure and others were further restrained on the: 17/04/2023, 20/04/2023, 12/05/2023 and their preliminary objections thrown out on 12/04/2023. The substantive suit hearing shall commence Friday 19th May, 2023
“That Mrs Dudu Manuga the Suspended National Woman Leader whom Mr Peter Obi our 2023 Presidential Candidate introduced as the Labour Party LP representative in the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal CANNOT represent the Labour Party LP.
“That Mrs Dudu Manuga was suspended along with other erring NWC members by the National Executive Council, NEC in Bauchi on 3rd May 2023 for her involvement and participation in the illegal NEC meeting of 18th April, 2023 in Asaba Delta State convened by the restrained Julius Abure and Umar Farouk Ibrahim.
“That Nigerians must be aware that Alhaji Lamidi Bashiru Apapa, has ASSERTED HIS AUTHORITY as the Acting National Chairman of Labour Party LP and is committed to the Labour party's mandate, notwithstanding the propaganda and thuggery orchestrated and sponsored by Julius Abure against us.”
Meanwhile, some members of the Labour Party loyal to Julius Abure on Wednesday celebrated the attacks and assault on Apapa in Abuja.