The Labour Party has suspended its National Deputy Chairman (South), Mr Lamidi Apapa and some other officials following a leadership crisis, News About Nigeria reports.
The party announced this decision at a National Executive Council meeting held in Asaba, which was attended by members of the National Working Committee, states chairmen and secretaries of the party, as well as its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi.
The party also appointed new acting executive members, and a disciplinary committee was constituted, with members comprising the National Youth Leader, Acting National Publicity Secretary, Acting National Legal Adviser, Acting Deputy National Secretary, and the National Vice Chairman South-South.
The committee is to investigate cases of indiscipline within the party and make recommendations for appropriate action.
The NEC also reaffirmed and upheld the decision of the Akure convention, which expelled the former publicity secretary, Mr Arabambi Abayomi.
It considered the disciplinary committee’s report, which recommended the suspension of the former Youth Leader, Mr Anslem Eragbe, and his expulsion at the next national convention.
Pending the next convention, NEC suspended Eragbe indefinitely, as well as other NWC members, including Lamidi Apapa, Alhaji Salem Lawal, Favour Reuben, Gbenga Daramola, Samuel Akingbade, and Mohammed Akali.
The party also discussed the 2023 general elections, expressing concerns about INEC’s failure to transmit election results in real-time from polling units.
The statement noted that this gave room for massive manipulation of results and condemned electoral violence and the use of security agencies to intimidate voters and perpetrate other crimes in parts of the country.
NEC expressed its implicit confidence in Mr Julius Abure-led National Working Committee and stressed its resolve to reclaim its mandate in court.
It called on the judiciary to do the right thing irrespective of whose interest is at stake.
This development is expected to have a significant impact on the Labour Party’s internal dynamics as it tries to resolve its leadership crisis ahead of the next general elections.
However, the party’s spokesperson did not provide further details on the reasons for the suspensions or how long they would last.
