Factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, Lamidi Apapa, has recounted how he escaped being mobbed by supporters of the Labour Party, popularly called ‘Obidients’ on Wednesday at the venue of the Presidential Election Petition Court.
He alleged that the LP supporters were hired to kill him.
Apapa, who spoke with newsmen after he was released from protective custody by security operatives, said he was in court to assert himself as the Acting National Chairman of the party.
According to him, he sensed trouble after the Director-General of Obi campaign organisations, Akin Osuntokun, refused to vacate a chair reserved for the chairman of the party.
“I went to him and inquired to know on what capacity he was sitting on the seat. I told him that since I am in court today, I am the right person to sit on that chair,” he said.
Recounting how he was mobbed by the crowd of LP supporters, Apapa, said, “They pounced on me, removed my cap and I am very sure that if not that you people (journalists) were there, I would have been dead by now.”
He accused Obi of being aware that he would be attacked, adding that members of the LP presidential campaign group, in a meeting on Tuesday to broker peace among the warring factions, vowed to deal with him should he attend the court session.
“They threatened that if I appear in court that something would happen,” he said.
Apapa also denied collecting N500million to scuttle Obi’s petition against the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Describing Obi as “a liar” for saying that he does not know him, Apapa claimed to have actively participated in all the campaigns before the presidential election and also returned to Abuja with the LP presidential flagbearer in the same aircraft on one occasion.
He said, “I want to tell the whole world that he (Obi) is a liar. I have been in the party for over 21 years while he is not even up to one year in the party.
“I have never taken any kobo from anybody and I have challenged anyone that has any evidence to bring it forward.”
Apapa stressed that he has contributed more to the LP than Obi.
He denied that he was in court to withdraw the petition against Tinubu.
“Apart from money, what else does he (Obi) have that I don’t have?” Apapa asked.
He accused the LP presidential flagbearer of refusing to respect the court order that suspended the Julius Abure-led executives of the party.