The National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, has accused Peter Obi of instructing thugs to attack the party’s acting national chairman, Lamidi Apapa.
Arabambi said this in an interview with TVC News on Wednesday while addressing a drama that occurred at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal hearing earlier in the day.
The party’s crisis took a new twist when he 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.”
