Lamidi Apapa, acting chairman of the Labour Party (LP), has reacted to claims that he ordered the withdrawal of Peter Obi’s petition against the victory of President-elect Bola Tinubu.
Apapa said he is not a mole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), noting that he has been in the party for 21 years and that he “desires for Obi to win at the tribunal”.
Chieftains of the parties had also accused the court-adjudged acting chairman of indulging in anti-party activities by “approaching the tribunals to withdraw all the cases lodged by LP candidates across the board”.
Reacting to the the allegations in an interview on Arise Television on Thursday, Apapa said he didn’t write the purported letter, claiming that he is being blackmailed.
“I didn’t write any letters. During the last court hearing, after the sitting at FCT, I only spoke that now that I’m in charge of the party as the acting chairman, I’m entitled to be briefed on all the [things] going on in the party. I didn’t write any letters,” he said.
“Let them confront me and show evidence of that letter. It is not true. I didn’t collect money also from anyone and I didn’t write any letters.
“If I want to write a letter to any lawyer, don’t I have my own signature? I’m telling you it’s a lie and no letter emanated from me calling to withdraw all cases. They are just doing that to blackmail me. I have my name and my signature.”
The LP factional chairman was rushed out of the court’s premises by security officials on Wednesday after supporters of the party mobbed him.
Speaking after the incident, Akin Osuntokun, the director-general of the LP presidential campaign, said Apapa is obsessed with recognition and may be a “tool in the hands of the APC”.
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