Lamidi Apapa, National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), has stated that only candidates endorsed by him would be allowed to run in the governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo on November 11.
This comes after a court of appeals dismissed the Julius Abure-led Labour Party division and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize governorship candidates produced by Apapa’s side for the election.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, August 24, Lamidi said; “You will recall that on the April 5 the FCT High court restrained Abure and others from parading themselves as national officers of the party. As a result, the party appointed the Deputy National Chairman, Alhaji Lamidi Apapa, as the acting national chairman of the party pursuant to its constitution.
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“Sequel to that the party under my leadership wrote to INEC changing its date of primary election earlier scheduled by Abure from April 15 to April 16. Notwithstanding the fact that he was under a restraining order, Abure still went ahead to conduct his primaries for Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa on those dates.
“Peeved by the primary conducted by me, a candidate who participated in the Abure primary took my candidate to court whilst maintaining that Abure’s candidates were the authentic ones. The case was frantically defended, and the Federal High court, Owerri Division, declared the primaries conducted by me as the authentic candidate as Abure was under a restraining order as at the time he screened candidates and conducted his primaries.”
