Lamidi Apapa, factional National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), who was mobbed at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, the venue of the Presidential Election Petition Court, on Wednesday, has thanked God for saving his life.
Recall Apapa had assumed leadership of the LP following a court order suspending Julius Abure from parading himself as National Chairman.
Information Nigeria had earlier reported that during yesterday’s proceedings, the Labour Party’s factional leaders clashed over seats at the presidential election petition court.
The altercation occurred when the Party’s Acting National Chairman, Apapa, confronted Akin Osuntokun, Director-General of Peter Obi’s presidential campaign council, upon the former’s arrival in the courtroom.
Apapa claimed that, as the rightful head of the Labour Party, he belonged in the plaintiffs’ gallery.
However, shortly after the adjournment to Friday, Apapa had wanted to speak with journalists covering the proceedings outside the courtroom but was prevented by the aggrieved supporters who stood in front of television cameras, shoving Apapa and calling him all kinds of names.
Apapa, who was booed and shoved from one point to another by the angry supporters, could no longer speak with the press.
At some point, the angry supporters started pushing him out of the court premises towards the gate before some police officers came to his rescue.
Addressing newsmen shortly after he was released from protective custody by security operatives, Apapa said he was in court to assert himself as the Acting National Chairman of the Party and to confirm the state of things on the petition LP’s candidate, Peter Obi, filed to challenge the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
Apapa further told newsmen that he had before the court began its proceedings, sensed trouble, after Osuntokun, refused to vacate a chair that was reserved for Party’s chairman.
“I went to him and inquired to know on what capacity he was sitting on the seat. I told him that since I am in court today, I am the right person to sit on that chair.”
READ ALSO: Drama In Court As LP Factions Clash Over Seats (Video)
Speaking on how he was mobbed, Apapa, said: “They pounced on me, removed my cap and I am very sure that if not that you people (journalists) were there, I would have been dead by now.”
He accused Obi of being away because the candidate knew he would be attacked.
According to him, members of the presidential campaign group had at a meeting held on Tuesday to broker peace among the warring factions, vowed to deal with him should he attend the court session.
“They threatened that if I appear in court that something would happen”, the embattled LP factional chairman added, saying there was no truth in the allegation that he collected N500million to scuttle Obi’s petition against the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Branding Obi “a liar” for saying that he does not know him, Apapa said he actively participated in all the campaigns the party held before the presidential election and also flew back to Abuja with him in the same aircraft on one of the occasions.
“I want to tell the whole world that he is a liar. I have been in the party for over 21 years while he is not even up to one year in the party.
“I have never taken any kobo from anybody and I have challenged anyone that has any evidence to bring it forward”.
While insisting that he has contributed more to the Party than Obi, Apapa said it was not true that he was in court to withdraw the petition against Tinubu.
“Apart from money, what else does he (Obi) have that I don’t have?,” Apapa queried.
He accused Obi of refusing to respect the court order that suspended the Julius Abure-led executives of the Party.
On the issue that led to the removal of his cap by angry youths that attacked him at the court premises, he said: “As you can see, I have recovered my cap. But as for the person that removed my cap, he will suffer till the end of his life.
“I saw him. He is a young chap but he will never grow old,” he added.
