Politics

LP crisis festers as state chairmen bar NWC from party’s headquarters

Published

4 years ago

April 13, 2023

LP crisis festers as state chairmen bar NWC from party’s headquarters

There was pandemonium yesterday when some state chairmen of the Labour Party (LP) chased the Lamidi Apapa led faction of the National Working Committee (NWC) away from the national headquarters of the party in Abuja.

The leadership crisis rocking the LP took a turn for the worse last week when a faction stormed the party’s national secretariat located at Utako, to take control of the building citing a court order.

The group, made up of seven members of the NWC of the party, installed the National Vice-Chairman (South), Lamidi Bashir Apapa, as the acting chairman of the party, following the suspension of the embattled national chairman, Julius Abure.

They said they were acting on the judgement of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, which restrained Julius Abure from parading himself as the national chairman of the party.

Friday, 36 state chairmen of the party forced their way into the party’s headquarters, insisting that Abure remained the party’s leader.

But speaking to newsmen yesterday, in front of the office gate, chairman of LP in Kwara State and the chairman of all the state chairmen of the party, Chief Kehinde Rotimi, said himself and his colleagues had arrived for a meeting but were locked out of the party’s secretariat and that when the Apapa led faction arrived, they (the state chairmen) also refused to let them in, forcing everyone to remain outside.

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“We have been here for quite some days now, for screening of some of our gubernatorial candidates for the forthcoming election in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo State.

“We were at the screening yesterday when we learnt that some people brought themselves to this office yesterday to do screening for candidates. When we heard that, we said that that is an aberration because they do not have the locus to do that.

“And I am a member of a screening committee where we screened so many candidates yesterday (Tuesday). So I do not know how they manipulated one or two candidates to come here yesterday and impersonated some of the candidates.

“So that’s why we came here. On getting to our secretariat, we wanted to hold a meeting and we discovered it was under lock and key. So we met some DSS men and some vigilantes groups, some thugs and miscreants and they said they asked them to lock the secretariat.

“In the course of discussing that, the legal committee led by Apapa came around and were trying to engage us, and their thugs were almost attacking us and we resisted every temptation to cause commotion and crisis because we know the case is in court, anything in court you don’t discuss it and we don’t want to commit contempt of court and that is why we now said okay, what do we do? Let’s stay here. So they could not enter, we too, could not enter,” Rotimi said.

Reacting to the incident, LP former Youth leader, Anslem Eragbe, who was suspended by the NWC said that they were merely acting in accordance with the party’s constitution, lamenting the bad treatment given to the interim national chairperson, Apapa by the state chairmen.

LP crisis festers as state chairmen bar NWC from party’s headquarters

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Imo APC Defies Court Ruling, Insists Uzodimma Remains Senatorial Candidate

Published

6 hours ago

October 29, 2026

Trends Admin

Imo APC Defies Court Ruling, Insists Uzodimma Remains Senatorial Candidate

The Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has insisted that Governor Hope Uzodimma remains its candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections, despite a Federal High Court judgment recognising former governor Rochas Okorocha as the party’s validly nominated candidate.

The party’s position sets the stage for a fresh legal and political battle over the APC’s senatorial ticket following the judgment delivered in Abuja on Thursday, October 29, 2026.

In a statement issued by its State Publicity Secretary, Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, the APC maintained that Uzodimma won the party’s senatorial primary and secured the nomination with the support of the majority of its members.

“The party wishes to state without any confusion that His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, CON, remains the candidate of our party for Imo West Senatorial District, having won the primaries of our great party with the overwhelming support of the majority of our party members,” the statement said.

The party, however, indicated that it would examine the court’s decision before determining its next course of action.

“The party’s legal department shall study the outcome of a legal intervention in this matter and act accordingly,” it added.

The APC also urged its members and supporters to remain focused and committed to securing victory for the party across the state in the 2027 elections.

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The party’s declaration came hours after the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove Uzodimma’s name as the APC candidate for Imo West and recognise Okorocha instead.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu, who delivered the judgment, held that the evidence presented before the court established that Okorocha won the APC senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026.

The judge consequently directed the APC to submit Okorocha’s name to INEC as its candidate for the senatorial district and ordered the electoral commission to publish his name.

Uzodimma was also ordered to stop presenting himself as the APC’s candidate for the senatorial election scheduled for January 16, 2027.

The dispute followed Okorocha’s legal challenge to INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the winner of the party’s primary.

In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, Okorocha questioned the electoral commission’s decision to publish Uzodimma’s name despite his claim that the primary election results and monitoring records showed that he had won.

Okorocha filed the case on August 13, 2026, seeking an order compelling INEC to recognise him as the party’s duly nominated candidate.

During the proceedings, Uzodimma, the APC and INEC opposed the suit, presenting arguments and evidence in support of the governor’s nomination.

The governor’s camp maintained that Uzodimma won the primary election, with a representative of the party’s election committee claiming that he secured 230,464 votes against Okorocha’s 1,098 votes.

Okorocha’s camp, however, presented a different account of the primary election, including documents it said supported his claim to the ticket.

After considering the evidence before it, the court ruled in favour of the former governor.

Okorocha, who governed Imo State from 2011 to 2019, previously represented Imo West in the Senate between 2019 and 2023. His latest bid to return to the National Assembly has revived his longstanding political rivalry with Uzodimma.

Uzodimma, who is serving his second and final term as governor, is seeking to secure the APC ticket for the senatorial district ahead of the 2027 elections.

The party’s insistence that he remains its candidate, despite the court’s orders, leaves the dispute at a critical stage as the APC considers its legal options.

The final outcome could determine who represents the party in the contest for Imo West and shape the political calculations surrounding the district ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Imo APC Defies Court Ruling, Insists Uzodimma Remains Senatorial Candidate

Politics

BREAKING: Court Sacks Uzodinma as APC Candidate, Declares Okorocha Winner of Imo West Primary

Published

8 hours ago

October 29, 2026

Trends Admin

BREAKING: Court Sacks Uzodinma as APC Candidate, Declares Okorocha Winner of Imo West Primary

A Federal High Court in Abuja has removed Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections and ordered the recognition of former governor Rochas Okorocha as the party’s candidate.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu delivered the judgment on Thursday, October 29, 2026, ruling that evidence before the court established that Okorocha won the APC senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026.

The judge ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise and publish Okorocha’s name as the APC candidate. He also directed the party to forward Okorocha’s name to the electoral commission and restrained Uzodinma from continuing to present himself as the party’s candidate for the senatorial contest scheduled for January 16, 2027.

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The judgment followed a legal challenge filed by Okorocha against the recognition of Uzodinma as the winner of the party’s primary. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, questioned INEC’s decision to recognise the incumbent governor as the party’s nominee.

The dispute has been marked by conflicting accounts of the primary election. INEC’s previously reported official result credited Uzodinma with 230,464 votes and Okorocha with 1,098 votes. However, Okorocha challenged that outcome in court, insisting that he won the primary.

The ruling represents a major development in the contest for the Imo West Senate seat, although the political and legal implications may depend on any further court proceedings.

Following the judgment, the Imo State chapter of the APC maintained that Uzodinma remained its candidate, saying its legal department would study the court’s decision and determine the party’s next steps.

The development leaves the party facing a dispute over who should represent it in the senatorial election, with the court’s directives placing Okorocha in line for the ticket.

The court’s ruling and the APC’s response have both been reported by Nigerian media outlets.

BREAKING: Court Sacks Uzodinma as APC Candidate, Declares Okorocha Winner of Imo West Primary

Politics

2027: Akpabio Says Tinubu’s Online Critics Are Paid, Mobilises Northern Youths

Published

14 hours ago

October 29, 2026

Trends Admin

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio

2027: Akpabio Says Tinubu’s Online Critics Are Paid, Mobilises Northern Youths

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has alleged that people criticising President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his supporters on social media are being paid, urging northern youths to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general election.

Akpabio made the remarks on Wednesday when members of the Arewa Revival Project, a youth organisation drawn from Nigeria’s 19 northern states, visited him at his office and presented him with an award in recognition of his contributions to nation-building.

The delegation was led by the group’s coordinator, Mustafa Ibrahim.

While thanking the organisation for the recognition, Akpabio urged its members to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election and engage young Nigerians at the grassroots to explain what he described as the benefits of continuity in government.

He warned that the group could face difficulties countering online criticism because, according to him, some of those attacking the President and his supporters were financially motivated.

“It is not going to be easy for you because most of those who are attacking the President and attacking these young men on social media are being paid. You are not being paid,” the Senate President said.

Akpabio advised the youths to organise regular meetings and engage Nigerians directly, rather than relying solely on social media to promote the administration’s policies.

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“You may not be able to have the kind of energy and time with them. But once in a while, gather the youth together and let them see the truth and know the truth,” he said.

The Senate President, however, did not provide evidence to substantiate his allegation that people criticising Tinubu online were receiving payments.

Akpabio also defended the President’s economic policies, particularly the tax reforms, arguing that the administration was taking steps to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on crude oil and diversify the economy.

He urged young Nigerians to look beyond criticism on social media and assess the government’s policies and initiatives.

The former Akwa Ibom State governor also praised Tinubu’s performance, saying members of the National Assembly had endorsed the President for a second term.

“No President has achieved the level of development that he has done in this country today since independence,” Akpabio said.

His remarks come as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general election, in which Tinubu is expected to seek re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Opposition parties and other critics have continued to question the administration’s economic policies, particularly their effects on the cost of living and household purchasing power.

Akpabio also expressed optimism that Nigeria could soon establish a state police system, claiming that about 30 state Houses of Assembly had endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment.

He said decentralised policing could strengthen the country’s security architecture and improve responses to local security threats.

Earlier, Ibrahim said the group considered Akpabio deserving of the award because of his contributions to national development and the work of the National Assembly under his leadership.