By Milcah Tanimu

In the aftermath of the recent ruling on August 2, 2023, nullifying all off-season governorship primary elections, conflicting claims have emerged from the Aburi and Apapa factions, each asserting their leadership within the party.

Following the court’s decision, both Aburi and Apapa have steadfastly maintained their roles as leaders of the party. Apapa, addressing the press after the court’s verdict, asserted himself as the legitimate national chairman of the party.

Apapa highlighted that the court invalidated Abure’s position and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to promptly acknowledge and release the names of the gubernatorial candidates nominated by his faction. These candidates were slated for the impending governorship contests in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states.

“In reference to the events on April 5, the FCT High Court restrained Abure and associates from assuming the mantle of national leadership within the party. Consequently, the party appointed Deputy National Chairman Alhaji Lamidi Apapa to act as the interim national chairman, as outlined in our constitution,” Apapa stated.

“In line with this, our faction notified INEC of a change in the primary election date initially scheduled by Abure for April 15. Subsequently, the party under my leadership conducted primaries on April 16,” Apapa further explained.

Despite the restraining order, Apapa pointed out that Abure went ahead with primary elections for the three states. In response, his own faction organized primaries on April 16 for the same gubernatorial race.

“Challenged by the primaries held under my leadership, a candidate from the Abure camp took legal action, arguing that the candidates chosen by Abure were the rightful ones,” Apapa noted.

“Our case was vigorously defended, and the Federal High Court’s Owerri Division ruled that the primaries conducted under my leadership were authentic, as Abure was restricted by a restraining order when he screened candidates and held his primaries,” he added.

Monday Mawah, an attorney representing the Labour Party, corroborated Apapa’s account during an appearance on Channels Television. Mawah clarified that the Court of Appeal in Owerri, based in Abuja, confirmed the legitimacy of candidates emerging from Lamidi Apapa-led primaries in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa.

However, Obiora Ifoh, the spokesperson for the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, disputed Mawah’s assertions. Ifoh contended that the appellate court’s ruling did not favor the Apapa-led faction as they claimed.

Ifoh countered, “The attention-seeking group led by Lamidi Apapa once again attempted to mislead the public by misrepresenting the clear verdict of the appellate court.”

He emphasized, “It is crucial to clarify that neither the Federal High Court in Owerri nor the Court of Appeal Owerri, which convened in Abuja, issued any orders in this matter aside from dismissing the plaintiff’s legal standing.”

“As a result, the situation remains unchanged, with Senator Athan Achonu as the officially nominated candidate of the Labour Party for the forthcoming 2023 Imo gubernatorial election,” Ifoh concluded.