A former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, has reacted to the statement of the factional chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Lamidi Apapa on the gubernatorial elections to be conducted in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states.
OsunDailyNG recalls that Apapa had announced that only candidates endorsed by him could feature in the November 11 Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo governorship elections.
He said this during the week at a news conference in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
“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.
“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,” Apapa said.
Reacting to Apapa’s declaration via a Twitter post, Ahmad praised the LP chairman for his decision.
He insisted that such a move was only possible in a democracy.
According to him, “Comrade Lamidi Apapa, the authentic national chairman of the Labour Party has categorically said that only the party’s candidates endorsed by him could feature in the upcoming Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo governorship elections. That’s another beautiful part of democracy.”
Earlier, OsunDailyNG reported that a Court of Appeal in Owerri, Imo State, affirmed Apapa as the authentic National Chairman of the party.
The court sacked the Julius Abure-led faction and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise governorship candidates produced by Apapa’s faction for the election.
