"Why I Took Over Labour Party Leadership” – Lamidi Apapa Breaks Silence on Party Crisis

 

Photo: Credited to The Punch

Comrade Lamidi Apapa, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Labour Party, says he has stepped in as the acting leader of the party due to ongoing internal issues. In a recent interview, he explained why he believes the Supreme Court ruling supports his position and why he's determined not to let the fight between Julius Abure's group and the Nenadi Usman-led committee destroy the party.

Why He Disappeared for Two Years

Apapa said he stepped back for a while because of ongoing court cases with Julius Abure over who should lead the Labour Party. He didn’t want to worsen the situation or violate any court orders, so he stayed quiet. But now, with new developments—including a Supreme Court judgment—he feels it's time to speak up again.

Why He Thinks He's Now the Rightful Leader

According to Apapa, the Supreme Court dismissed all earlier rulings that recognized Abure as the national chairman. He believes that means Abure no longer has any legal claim to the position. Meanwhile, Peter Obi and Alex Otti have backed a caretaker committee led by Nenadi Usman, which Apapa sees as an attempt to take advantage of the confusion.
He insists that based on the Labour Party's constitution, when the chairman can't perform his duties, the deputy should take over. He says he's simply following the rules, not causing more conflict.

His Long-Running Court Case with Abure

Apapa confirmed that his case with Abure has been going on for about two years. While Abure was once suspended by the party, he went to court to fight it. The courts have now said they can’t intervene in internal party matters, meaning it’s up to the party to sort things out using its constitution.

His Take on NLC’s Role and Support for Obi

Apapa doesn’t believe the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) should be taking sides. He argued that although the NLC helped form the party, they don't own it. He compared it to a parent who can’t control their adult child’s property just because they’re related.
He also said the NLC and Peter Obi once supported Abure, even calling him a hero. But now that things didn’t go their way, they’ve turned on him. He believes many of the issues people have with Abure now are the same concerns he raised from the start, but no one listened then.

On INEC’s Position

Apapa says he's not worried about INEC (the Independent National Electoral Commission). He claims INEC has been aware of all the legal battles and knows there was an executive committee in place before the recent caretaker group emerged. He believes INEC will remain neutral and that it’s up to the party to follow its own constitution, which, according to him, supports his leadership claim.

Final Thoughts

Apapa says the Labour Party’s problems won’t end until everyone is honest and follows the rules. He believes Abure should step aside so the party can investigate the allegations against him fairly. According to Apapa, if that had been done earlier, the current crisis could have been avoided. He warns that no one should try to control the party based on personal interests or backroom deals—only the constitution should guide their actions.