The Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party Has called on security agencies to Arrest Peter Obi the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party and any other person moving and clamouring to stop the transition process and the inauguration of President Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29, 2023.
National Publicity Secretary of the Apapa Faction, Abayomi Arabambi disclosed this to journalist in Abuja, after the FCT High Court re-affirmed Lamidi Apapa as acting Chairman.
Arabambi also stated that if the Party’s legal team at the election petition Tribunal in Abuja failed to met Lamidi Apapa and brief him on the legal proceeding within 48 hours they would appoint new lawyers to take over labour party case at the tribunal.
Lamidi Apapa led faction of the Labour party says calls for Tinubu not to be sworn in on May 29 is unconstitutional and not backed by law.
Apapa’s faction of the party noted that the swearing in of Tinubu on May 29, may not have any impact on the ongoing legal tussle of the presidential election tribunal as the president-elect can still be removed legally.
Arabambi said Peter Obi once benefitted from the system of being sworn into office despite pending petitions filed against him before the tribunal by Andy Uba.
Acting National Chairmannof Labour Party, has distanced itself from calls for an interim government and the agitations that the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, should not be sworn in on May 29, pending the resolution of the petitions before the presidential election tribunal in Abuja.
Acting National Chairman of the party noted that the swearing in of Tinubu on May 29, "not have any impact on the ongoing legal tussle on the presidential election involving our party, APC and INEC.”
This is contained in a statement released by the faction’s Spokesman, Abayomi Arabambi, who argued that the Electoral Act and the Constitution of Nigeria does not give room for a vacuum.
President-elect can still be removed legally
Arabambi noted that whether the President-elect is sworn in or not, there is right to remove him legally if it is found out that he was not duly elected.
Citing sections 136 and 146 of the constitution, Arabambi said;
“What Peter Obi is crying for is not supported by the law.”
He argued that “a refusal to swear in Tinubu as President will create a vacuum in the system”, adding that the law abhors this.
Peter Obi benefitted from this system Arabambi said,
“Even Peter Obi once benefitted from the system of being sworn into office despite pending petitions filed against him before the tribunal by Andy Uba. The Law has to be complied with, which is to swear in Tinubu as president, and if anybody wants to change the narrative, they will have to change the law.
“Labour Party warns all Obidiots clandestinely parading themselves as LP members and other Obidients who may be agitating that the President-elect should not be sworn in to have a rethink as Labour Party will not support any unlawful means of agitations or change of government violently.”
The spokesman also maintained that LP would continue to pursue its case in court.
What you should know
INEC had declared the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu, as the winner of the keenly contested February 25 presidential election.
The president-elect polled 8,794,726 votes to beat his closest challenger, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who had 6,984,520 votes.
Peter Obi of the Labour Party came a close third with 6,101,533 votes, with Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) coming fourth with 1,496,687 votes.
Obi and Atiku have both rejected the results announced by INEC with both claiming victory at the polls. They have also approached the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal to seek redress.
The vice presidential candidate for the Labour Party, Datti Baba-Ahmed, had on March 22, 2023, during an interview on Channels Television, called into question the constitutionality of swearing in the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, on May 29 and asked the Chief Justice of Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari not to inaugurate the president-elect.
He argued that going ahead with Tinubu’s inauguration would be unconstitutional and would end democracy as he has not been able to meet the constitutional requirements.
Meanwhile, the leadership crisis in the Labour Party worsened as some members of the National Working Committee of the Party led by the Deputy National Chairman of the party (South), Lamidi Apapa, took over the affairs of the party following a court judgment restraining Julius Abure and three others from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Lamidi Apapa said he is now the Acting National Chairman of the party while Saleh Lawan is the Acting National Secretary.