LP Acting Chairman Abure And Lamidi Apapa In Battle Over Plan To Hold Congress In Imo

The Julius Abure group has been cautioned not to hold any labor party state congresses in Imo by the Apapa Lamidi-aligned Imo state LP faction.

Speaking to reporters on Monday in Owerri, Mr. Ikechukwu Akujobi, the chairman of Apapa, declared that any congress that was not organized by him (Akujobi) was invalid.

He believed that Apapa Lamidi was granted the authority of an actual national chairman of the Labour Party as a result of the legal dispute that occurred at the party’s national level.

He started by saying: “I joined the labour party in 2014 and became chairman in 2016. I was wrongly removed. In 2023 was reinstated by Apapa Lamidi. I was removed unconstitutionally. The national secretary then was Julius Abure. Who then said I was wrongly removed. The only thing that can remove me is a national congress.

“Based on this I want to openly let labour party members know that one Festus Onyekwulisi, wants to conduct a state congress in the state, that exercise is null and void. Anybody involved should consider himself an anti-party.”

“Also, we can’t run a party that is for the highest bidder. It is becoming a money party. So I want to plead with all members of LP, that I have come back and we will fix the LP in Imo state. If we must set things right we must avoid segregation.

“Every politician in Imo State must come together to rescue Imo State. I want to sound a note of warning to anybody who parades himself as chairman of LP will see color. I set up a guber primary election and a candidate emerged Chief Ikechukwu Ukaegbu Joseph (Ikenga) so whoever parades himself as the candidate will face me. I thank God, that Apapa, said he was not aware and that there is nothing like a plan to conduct state Congress. We believe that Peter Obi won. We believe he will recover his mandate from the court,” he said.