As Lamidi Apapa, the chairman of the division of the Labour Party, left the Appeal Court on Wednesday, cries of “Ole,” the Yoruba word for “thief,” tore the air.
A crowd surrounded Apapa as he was exiting the court after earlier making a commotion inside.
The politician struggled to get to where his car was parked while being protected by police officers, but the throng followed him and continued to record the scene on their phones.
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When someone in the crowd took off Apapa’s cap and ran, the action took on a more dramatic tone.
He had attempted to speak with a group of journalists after the proceedings but the continuous noise disrupted the process.
Apapa eventually walked away but he was overshadowed by the crowd.
Apapa had already appeared in court for the case of a petition that Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate, had filed against the election of President-elect Bola Tinubu. Apapa and Julius Abure, the suspended party chairman, are engaged in a legal dispute.
A yelling match broke out when he attempted to seat where Labour Party officials were.
“Who are you?” a Labour Party official had asked Apapa, who fired back saying, “You don’t know me? Look at the way you are talking, who are you too?”
As the argument continued, Apapa raised his voice, saying, “Get up, you can not sit down here!”
Secretary of the Presidential election court, Josephine Ekperobe, quickly moved in to ensue normalcy.
Later when the Labour Party matter was called, Obi and the party’s Women Leader, Dudu Manoga, introduced themselves on the record of the court.
But when Apapa stood up to introduce himself as the National Chairman, the presiding justice of the court, Justice Haruna Tsammani, requested him to stop the introduction as the court would not recognise the ‘National Chairman’ on record.
Abure, who sat next to Obi, did not, however, attempt to introduce himself.
