2023 Elections: Candidates I didn’t endorse can’t contest – Lamidi Apapa

VAM News Update

THE National Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Lamidi Apapa, has said that only candidates endorsed by him can participate in November 11 governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo state.

This is coming after it was reported that a court of appeal sacked the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise governorship candidates produced by Apapa’s faction for the election.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, August 24, Lamidi said;

“You will recall that on the April 5 the FCT High court restrained Abure and others from parading themselves as national officers of the party. As a result, the party appointed the Deputy National Chairman, Alhaji Lamidi Apapa, as the acting national chairman of the party pursuant to its constitution.

“Sequel to that the party under my leadership wrote to INEC changing its date of primary election earlier scheduled by Abure from April 15 to April 16. Notwithstanding the fact that he was under a restraining order, Abure still went ahead to conduct his primaries for Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa on those dates.

“Peeved by the primary conducted by me, a candidate who participated in the Abure primary took my candidate to court whilst maintaining that Abure’s candidates were the authentic ones. The case was frantically defended, and the Federal High court, Owerri Division, declared the primaries conducted by me as the authentic candidate as Abure was under a restraining order as at the time he screened candidates and conducted his primaries.”