Shouts of Ole,, a Yoruba word for thief, rend the air as Lamidi Apapa, factional Labour Party Chairman, made his way out of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, the venue of the Presidential Election Petition Tribuna, on Wednesday.
Apapa, who had earlier created a scene inside the court, was leaving when a crowd surrounded him.
The politician, who was being shielded by policemen, struggled to get to where his car was parked, but the crowd kept trailing him, recording the incident with their phone.
The incident became more dramatic when someone in the crowd removed Apapa’s cap and fled.
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.
Earlier, Apapa, who is locked in a battle with Julius Abure, suspended chairman of the party, had arrived the court for the case of a petition which Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the party, filed against the victory of President-elect Bola Tinubu.
He made attempted to sit where Labour Party officials were and a shouting match ensued.
“Who are you?” a 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.
@Daily Trust