The crisis within the Labour Party may not be over anytime soon, as the faction of the party, led by the embattled national chairman, Julius Abure, has rejected an out-of-court settlement from the Lamidi Apapa led-faction.
The faction, which described the Lamidi Apapa-led faction as rodents who have invaded the political party, said it will rather wait for the outcome of the court judgment, instead of reconciling with the faction.
It would be recalled that Justice Hamza Muazu of a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, had on April 5th, 2023, restrained the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, and the national officers of the party; Farouk Ibrahim, Clement Ojukwu, and Oluchi Opara from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
However, Apapa who was the national vice chairman of the party, took over the leadership of the party, As the acting national chairman, following the ruling of the court.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit marked CV/2930/2023, Martins Esikpali John, Lucky Shaibu, Isah Zekeri, Omogbai Frank, Abokhaiu Aliu, Ayohkaire Lateef, John Elomah, and Ayobami Arabambi, told the court that Abure, Ibrahim, Ojukwu, and Opara forged several documents of the FCT high court to carry out unlawful substitutions in the last elections.
However, May 12 has been set aside as the day to rule on the application, and the two factions of the party will know their faith that same day.
Meanwhile, in response to media reports that the parties to the case are considering an out-of-court settlement, the acting National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said Abure and other national officers of the party, are not interested in Apapa’s fancied out-of-court settlement.
According to him, the proposal for an out-of-court settlement was in the imagination of the Apapa group, which will never come to a reality.
The acting secretary, accused Apapa of disinformation, lies, and propaganda, noting that his faction went to town with a statement suggesting that the court upheld a restraining order against Abure and some other executive members of the party, and also said that an out-of-court settlement arrangement has been agreed upon.
“But we are certainly not interested in their back-hand approach to peace. We would rather prefer to see the end of the matter in court because all their claims can neither be proved nor substantiated. We are comforted by the fact that truth will always prevail at last, ” he said
He added that the Apapa group is filled with “mercantile personalities and a bunch of hustlers who are well compromised, working and will do anything to satisfy their paymasters.”
He alleged that the faction, through their recent activities, show “they have been compromised by our political opponents to put spanners in the work of progress going on in the party.
“We have continued to warn our members and Nigerians that rodents have invaded our party and that we must ensure that they do not carry out their nefarious assignments,” he said.