The leaders of the Labour Party say that the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, is working with the Lamidi Apapa group to cause problems in the party.
The news is happening just one week after two lawyers who say they represent the Independent National Electoral Commission showed up at the appeals court in Lagos.
INEC announced on February 28 that Amobi Ogah, the candidate for the LP party, won the election for the Isiukwuato Umunneochi Federal Constituency. Ogah received 11,769 votes, while Onyejeocha received 8,752 votes.
A tribunal in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State, has canceled the election of the LP candidate in the National Assembly.
The tribunal made a decision on a petition in Umuahia, with the case number EPT/AB/HR/8/2023. They said that Ogah did not follow the rules of the Electoral Act.
Ogah said that when Onyejeocha accepted the ministerial appointment in Nigeria, it showed that she had given up on her petition.
However, the tribunal rejected the argument made by the lawmaker.
There was some confusion on Thursday when two lawyers arrived, each with a letter giving them permission to speak for INEC. This happened during a court hearing in Lagos, and as a result, the hearing had to be postponed.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday at the party headquarters in Abuja, Kennedy Ahanotu, the National Youth Leader of the LP, stated that they had received information suggesting that the minister and the LP splinter group were responsible for the incident.
Ahanotu, who was joined at the conference by the National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, and National Legal Adviser, Kehinde Edun, also claimed that they believed she was collaborating with some expelled members of the party.
He said, “The leaders of the Labour Party want to tell Nigerians about a bad partnership between the Minister of State for Labour, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, and some people who were kicked out of our party. They are led by Chief Lamidi Apapa, and their goal is to keep causing problems in our party forever.”
You might start to wonder why the minister and the Labour Party are connected in a way that she would go as far as causing and paying for problems within the party. We know that the ex-lawmaker is fighting a personal and indirect war against the party.
Onyejeocha has been a member of the national assembly since 2007. However, in the recent general election on February 25, she was defeated by Amobi Ogah by a large margin. She was really upset about losing to Amobi Ogah, and she’s determined to use her connections to try and change the election results in her favor.
Ahanotu explained that there was confusion at the appellate court last week because two lawyers showed up. They were suspicious because INEC did not deliver a letter to the first lawyer, Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN), stating that they wanted to withdraw from the case.
The person from the LP National Working Committee also mentioned that even though the legal firm of J. O. Asoluka was supposed to officially take over, the letter was intentionally delayed to make Ogar’s appeal case more difficult.
We were curious about why the lawyers from the firm of Yunus Ustaz Usman were so desperate to represent INEC, even though they had already sent a letter to INEC saying they no longer wanted to provide their services. However, Usman, feeling embarrassed, has completely separated himself from the situation.
Upon further examination, we discovered that INEC did not make public the letter written on the 17th by the law firm of Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN) stating their withdrawal from the case. The letter became known only after the incident at the Appeal Court. We want to know if there were any threats from important people that stopped INEC officials from sharing the letter publicly.
We also noticed the Apapa-led splinter group, which tried to take control of the party’s representation in court. How did this smaller group become part of the situation and who brought them in? It is widely known that this group has become troublesome intruders and has repeatedly worked against the greater goals of the Labour Party, even when the Supreme Court has denied them recognition,” he said.
In a statement, Gabriel Emameh, who is a Special Adviser on Media to the minister, advised the Labour Party to focus on solving its internal issues and not bother Onyejeocha.
Emameh said that the allegation was like a hatchet job. They also mentioned that a former federal parliamentarian, who has been making laws for the country for 16 years, would not do anything with the opposition party.
He said, “Ahanotu has forgotten quickly that the problems in the Labour Party began before the party’s Presidential Campaign Council was formed in 2022.” Why Ahanotu and his gang think that Honourable Onyejeocha is the cause of the many problems that have deeply affected LP is not just completely illogical, but also obsessive and evil.
Even though the politicians talked a lot before the election, it was obvious to smart people that the Labour Party was not realistic. Losing the Presidential election showed that the party had some serious problems.
LP’s Amaobi Ogah prevented her from winning the 10th Assembly election, but the judges of the Abia State National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal recognized the unfairness and declared her as the rightful winner. She strongly believes in following the law and thinks that the courtroom is a sacred place where justice is served. She is hopeful that Daniel will also face judgment at the Appeal Tribunal.
I think the LP needs to acknowledge the leadership problems within the party, reflect on itself, and make changes. This will allow the honorable minister to concentrate on her work without any distractions.
In response to the statement, the spokesperson for the Apapa faction, Abayomi Arabambi, denied Ahanotu’s claim. Arabambi said that there was no connection between them and the minister.
Arabambi emphasized that the minister can also take legal action if she believes her mandate has been stolen.
He said, “The LP denies the claim of a partnership between the party and the Minister of State, Labour, and Employment, as supposedly mentioned in Ahanotu’s made-up article.” We ask Nigerian citizens to pretend they don’t know about a statement that tries to harm the reputation of a real democrat and citizen, Onyejeocha, who is working hard to get her rightful position back.
The LP does not have any connection with the minister, and the party did not oppose any Nigerian who was seeking justice in the courts. We need to educate the new group of young lawyers who work for Julius Abure about the qualifications needed for their job. This is important for keeping records. We believe that the question of whether a candidate is qualified and supported by a political party is important before and after an election.
