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The factional national chairman of the Labour Party, Lamidi Apapa, on Wednesday, confronted the Director General of Peter Obi’s presidential campaign council, Akin Osuntokun, at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja.

The rancor began after court officials opened the courtroom to lawyers and litigants for the day’s proceedings. Mr Osuntokun and other party stalwarts had taken their seats in the gallery in the courtroom, when Mr Apapa and his colleagues accosted the former, demanding that they vacate the seats.

Mr Apapa said he was the legitimate leader of Labour Party who should take the seat.

But Mr Osuntokun would not relinquish his seat, insisting that Mr Apapa had no right to take the seat. It took the intervention of Josephine Ekperobe, secretary of the Presidential Election Petition Court to calm down the tense situation between Messrs Apapa and Osuntokun.

Julius Abure, the suspended national chairman of the Labour Party, was caught in a web of leadership dispute with Mr Apapa, who was earlier suspended by the party.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja had restrained Mr Abure from parading himself as the national chairman of the party.The crack within the party had widened since its loss at the presidential election with its factionalisation becoming more pronounced.

In April, the party’s Acting National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, called on all election petition tribunals to disregard letters by its suspended National Legal Adviser, Samuel Akingbade, withdrawing all the party’s petitions.Wednesday’s proceedings might witness some hitches in terms of who represents the party at the court. Mr Abure arrived at court shortly after the altercation was brought under control.
Also, Mr Obi is present in court for Wednesday’s proceedings