Obi denies asking for shift in swearing-in date cos of pending petitions
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Peter Obi has denied asking for a shift in the swearing in date of President-elect Bola Tinubu from May 29, with the Labour Party saying the fear of making it to Eagle Square in Abuja for the ceremony is causing sleepless nights for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The LP said the plot to truncate the judicial process it instituted against the APC and Tinubu will fail.
A statement signed by acting LP National Publicity Secretary Obiorah Ifoh insisted the APC has found allies in LP factional National Chairman Lamidi Apapa and faction National Secretary Abayomi Arabambi.
Ifoh said it is not in the character of Obi to canvas for undemocratic measures and it is curious that the APC resorted to using persons outside the LP fold to express concern over a date sacrosanct to Nigeria’s democracy.
“Apapa group’s visible love for Tinubu and their statement on ‘swearing in’ reflect the ‘Hand of Esau, Voice of Jacob,’” the statement alerted.
“We had refused to join issues with the expelled former acting National Publicity Secretary of Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi and the suspended Deputy National Chairman, Lamidi Apapa, on their mischievous narratives of the ‘May 29 handover’ to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC’s) declared winner of the presidential election.
“The Labour Party actually do not want to comment on the matter which hearing has since commenced at the presidential appeal tribunal.
“However, the text of the statement which was read as commercial on about three television stations in prime time hours suggests that the real sponsors of the crisis in the Labour Party would stop at nothing in ensuring that they sustain the imbroglio.”
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Huge war chest to cause disruption
“The huge financial war chest being deployed to achieve this inglorious plot to halt a popular aspiration of millions of Nigerians for a new and prosperous nation leaves a huge gap in the dexterity and desperation of these evil plotters,” Ifoh said, per Tribune reporting.
“In all Peter Obi’s public and private statements, he has never said or by implication, insinuate that May 29 should be shifted. He is a Democrat and he is one person that believes so much in the judiciary as the last arbiter, and that is why he has resorted to the court to seek justice.
“Having said that, we are perturbed by the mouthpiece with which the All Progressives Congress (APC) chose to express their fears.
“The possibility of not making it to Eagles Square on the 29th May has continued to give them both sleepless nights and migraine, and has pushed them into deploying an already compromised and fallen members of the Labour Party, led by Apapa and Arabambi, as their compere to sing a song danced only by themselves.
“What we are seeing today is simply ‘the Hand of Esau, Voice of Jacob’.
“You do not need to spend millions of naira to tell Nigerians what they already know through various media spaces. Nigerians already know that you are sponsored to work against the presidential ambition of Peter Obi.
“No one is in doubt of Apapa camp’s altruistic ambition to remain a destructive agent in the Labour Party.
“A few weeks ago, you will recall how we alerted Nigerians of plots by this faction to withdraw the cases filed by some of our candidates at the tribunals, allegations from which they are yet to exonerate themselves.
“We have also alerted Nigerians on how these men who have no known source of income are now flying private jets and living in five-star hotels.
“Part of their plots to scuttle the ongoing presidential tribunal as shamelessly boasted by Arabambi is to desecrate the sanctity of the tribunal venue on the next adjourned date with Lamidi Alaba forcing himself to appear as a representative of the Labour Party.
“This will be the height of the APC’s evil plot and executed by Apapa and his gang to frustrate the peaceful judicial process being witnessed by Nigerians.
“They are hoping to inject tumultuous scene and probably force the process to a halt.
“Nigerians cannot be taken for granted any longer and no amount of violence hatched and perpetuated by APC using the faction they created in Labour Party will stop what destiny has purposed for the nation.
“We are therefore urging Nigerians to stop these paid hirelings who will stop at nothing from frustrating the will of God for Nigerians.”
