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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The All Progressive Congress (APC) has described the claim that it was behind the leadership crisis rocking the opposition Labour Party (LP), as untrue.
Recall that Lamidi Apapa, the deputy national chairman (South) of LP, had on Thursday declared that he has taken charge of the affairs of the party.
The declaration came a few hours after Julius Abure, the national chairman of the party, alleged that thugs aided by police officers invaded the party’s headquarters in the Federal Xapital Territory (FCT) and caused damage to the property.
Abure claimed that the invasion was sponsored by the APC to destabilise the party and its challenge of the presidential election won by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Reacting to the allegation in a statement at the weekend, the national publicity secretary of APC, Felix Morka, described the claim as “LP’s morbid obsession” with the ruling party.
He described Abure’s accusation as “unfathomable and infantile” and told the embattled LP national chairman to face the travails of his party without blaming it on the APC.
“With legs deep in quicksand, the embattled national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure, clawing desperately in search of firmer ground, baselessly blames the All Progressives Congress (APC) for his sinking and dysfunctional party.
“In his irrational outburst, Mr Abure accused the APC of colluding with police and other security agencies to invade and seize LP’s national secretariat and staging a crisis in that party.
“Total vindication of APC of any involvement in LP’s imbroglio was swiftly and categorically delivered by Mr. Abure’s successor and acting national chairman of LP, Mr Lamidi Apapa, who exonerated our great party of any interference in the party’s raging internal crisis.
“He clarified that the reported situation at the LP headquarters was a result of a legal process arising from the orders of a federal capital territory high court that barred Mr Abure and other national officers of the party from parading themselves as such.
“The LP’s morbid obsession with APC is unfathomable and infantile, blaming APC for all its internal woes. Mr Abure’s bogus claim follows Mr Peter Obi’s unsubstantiated and vexatious claim that he was being hounded into exile by our party.
“To be clear, APC is not responsible for Mr Abure’s travails.
“While the LP continues to grapple with its myriad of woes and crying wolf where none exists, the APC will stay focused and committed to forming a new government to be led by the visionary president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as he drives the renewed hope agenda, and consolidate on the many gains of the out-going President Buhari-administration,” Morka said.