October 26, 2023
The leadership of the Labour Party has leveled accusations against Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, alleging that she is in alliance with the Lamidi Apapa faction to incite turmoil within the party.
This development comes shortly after a peculiar legal entanglement that unfolded at the appellate court in Lagos involving two legal counsels claiming to represent the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The dispute stems from the outcome of the Isiukwuato Umunneochi Federal Constituency election.
INEC had declared the LP candidate, Amobi Ogah, as the winner of the election on February 28, with 11,769 votes, surpassing the 8,752 votes garnered by Onyejeocha. However, a National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia nullified Ogah’s victory in the LP candidate’s favor, citing non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
Ogah contended that Onyejeocha’s acceptance of a ministerial appointment indicated her abandonment of her petition. Nevertheless, the tribunal dismissed this argument, causing confusion.
The situation escalated when two legal representatives appeared at the appellate court in Lagos, each holding a letter of authority to speak on behalf of INEC. This unexpected turn of events led to an adjournment.
Addressing the media in Abuja, LP National Youth Leader, Kennedy Ahanotu, alleged that they had intelligence indicating Minister Onyejeocha and the LP splinter group were behind the chaos. Ahanotu claimed that the minister was working in league with expelled party members and orchestrating the crisis to her benefit.
Ahanotu stated, “Onyejeocha has been in the national assembly since 2007 until the February 25 general election when she was defeated by Amobi Ogah by a very wide margin. Her loss to Amobi Ogah was a pill too hard to swallow; hence, she has vowed to use all her connections to ensure that the election declared by INEC is upturned in her favor.”
The LP also raised concerns about INEC’s role in the confusion. They noted that INEC failed to deliver a withdrawal letter from the first lawyer, Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN), which led to the dispute at the appellate court. Ahanotu suggested that the delay was deliberate to frustrate Ogah’s appeal case.
In response, Special Adviser on Media to the minister, Gabriel Emameh, dismissed the allegations as a hatchet job. He urged the LP to address its internal issues and leave Onyejeocha alone.
Additionally, the spokesman for the Apapa faction, Abayomi Arabambi, refuted Ahanotu’s claims, asserting that there was no alliance between the faction and the minister. Arabambi emphasized that the LP supported any Nigerian citizen seeking legal redress, including Onyejeocha.