 Welcome back. It's time for a hot topic of the day and we've been joined by Mr. Omoshola Deji, political affairs analyst, to take a look at the crisis rocking the Labour Party and once they we saw the two factions of the Labour Party turn the court, the tribunal court, into a battlefield and then on Thursday another thing happened. The chairman, the national chairman of the party Julius Aburi and the three other national executive members announced their return. They said that they have gone to the appeal court and that the appeal court has signed their appeal and so they are back. We shall be taking a look at this right now with our guests. Hello Mr. Omoshola. Glad to have you join us. Glad to have you join us. Mr. Omoshola can you hear me? Yes I can hear you. Oh good, good. So first of all tell me, your thoughts on the announcement made yesterday by Julius Aburi and the other three executive members of the Labour Party that they have gone to the appeal and that the appeal has been signed on so they are back? Well if the appeal has been signed on then it is normal for them to take back their position because the appeal court being a higher court than the court of first instance that sat them on the basis of forgery. So if they have gone to the higher court in this instance the court of appeal and the court had looked at their argument and in the wisdom of the court the court now says okay go back to your position and the determination of the case before it then it is legal, it is constitutional for them to be back in that position to the court says otherwise. So what is now there for their grift party is not which I think is the upper faction is for them to perhaps approach the Supreme Court and place their argument before the Supreme Court on why the appeal should not be reinstated or perhaps they can also approach the same court to kind of like make one or two argument on why maybe the judges at the appeal court should have everything on the restatement of Abu Reh until that is done Abu Reh is legally bound to resume sitting as the chairman of the Labour Party. All this drama playing out around the Labour Party is definitely not making the party look good because I mean we had hoped that this party would have been able to sustain its position as a very very strong third force in the national politics today the Labour Party case will be you know up for hearing today Friday in the 19th of May that their case will be up for hearing. Why would you say the party has had this difficulty in closing its ranks and making necessary compromise in the interests of the party? Well good question either ways there's bound to be crisis in the Labour Party if Peter Abiyad won there's still bound to be crisis because if a candidate move from one party in this instance and PDP to the Labour Party is going to come with his own political foot soldiers with his own disciples and there are people who have seen themselves as an institution within an institution within the Labour Party. These people their interests we feel threatened and by the kind of like emerges of Peter Abiyad as the party's candidate and his strong influence is surprised that you know he's come up during the election definitely it has shown that he is a factor in Nigerian politics today so and it has also shown that Peter Abiyad is not going to be a one-off candidate so if these stakeholders of the Labour Party before Peter Abiyad joined if they're considering that okay perhaps he's going to lose the election and we're going to have our party back they have seen that oh this man has come to stay and they have to play second PDP for perhaps the next four years and in the next four years Peter Abiyad is going to likely contest again whether he wins at the Tribunal or not so they have seen that they are going to be playing second PDP in perpetuity so that alone it's a threat to them and they are surely going to fight back so if Peter Abiyad won the election there will be conflict but the conflict will not be big as this because he has enough appointment at his disposal to share to vote the both stakeholders of the party and the new stakeholder but because he lost the election definitely the people there who has been playing second PDP who are the original purists of the party definitely they would revolt then we also need to look at the political side Labour Party is a party that doesn't have much financial word chest and Peter Abiyad is playing against people that are stupendously rich people that are you know political game masters and in that kind of instance they will not only play the game at the polls at the ballot they will also play it across board which is to perhaps spring up conflict within the Labour Party itself to destabilize Peter Abiyad and therefore the resources at their disposal at their will to achieve that so either which way there's bound to be crisis in the Labour Party and this crisis will most likely to go down when the Supreme Court decide the presidential election petition if the crisis goes down what that tells you is that all this is being triggered by people of other political parties who feel threatened by the Peter Abiyad candidacy and his argument at the court but if it persists after the presidential election tribunal then it shows that okay it is the natural agreement of the old of the party but time we're going to review because it should well the upper function has made moves to withdraw the petition election you know and but the electoral petition act 2022 section 29 subsection one does not empower one applicant to withdraw where petitioners are more than one and it's also interesting that the same apapa has denied being a mole be denied being sponsored by external forces what's your thought on this well the upper function cannot withdraw the suit at the tribunal because Peter Abiyad himself went to court as a person he asked lawyers there so the even if the chairman of the party for example if he tries to withdraw the suit there's no way he's going to separate himself from Peter who is the candidate of the party and who is willing to pursue the course of justice as he does the presidential election so it will be very difficult for whether the upper function to say they want to withdraw the case at the the presidential election tribunal the case is going to go on and it's going to go on to the end except if the two the two in one well you know how the fact to them as few one they both are Peter will be jointly decide to withdraw at the presidential election tribunal which I don't see that happening except if that happens definitely the coast is going to go on because Peter will be is a party to the case and he's well represented all right okay just hold your thought there will have been informed that we have someone else joining us to have this discussion on Moshella I'm sure you will agree with me that the more the merrier we have barista justice who will be human rights lawyer joining us from Abuja hello justice good morning how are you doing I'm good how are you this Friday I'm good I'm fine all right so I've been discussing with a Moshella on the drama unfolding in the camp of the labor party tell us your take on what happened yesterday I mean on Wednesday we saw the drama that ensued at the court the electoral tribunal court and then on Thursday we have Abu Ray and the other three announcing that they are back why didn't they why didn't they go to the why didn't they go to the appeal earlier than yesterday why didn't we have this before now why did they allow all the drama that ensued before now I'm laughing because I think the whole thing is a drama and well that's the future of democracy anyway if you remember philosophy democracy is democracy so that is one of the things we have to get and that's one of the experience we have to get the only point I have is that unfortunately we are president the wrong way you understand the same and let us also understand one part that positionally any person who is contesting election is contesting under a political party and that is why the political party sponsors the person you run in the name of the political party so when you begin to have issues or have with your political party it is not good at all in fact it doesn't show the good one which can send a wrong signal and one way or the other it will affect the person that is actually the candidate because the candidate does not just imagine remember that if not is we are equal and that is why some of us has been earlier before the acclamations for independent candidates so you cannot separate the party from the candidates is not possible it is the party you you fly the flag of the party and during election it is not your name that is there it is the logo and the name of the political party so these are the but the courts at the end of the day the the five wise men who will take position when they are into not the matter so we should be very very careful and that is why we this thing that is happening now they are very fashion the upper version and not the rest I'm saying they are with us or not say that now we need to know and appreciate the fact and this is why we have been pushing for independent candidates I love what is happening so are you saying justice that if a if a papa had succeeded or if he eventually succeeds at withdrawing the party's election petition that that would be the end of the road for Peter will be as far as I'm concerned personally my opinion if you look at the position it is the party that sponsors the candidates nobody goes they are on a personal note you must run under the party and the party must support you the party must give you the flag you must run under the logo and the name of the party but these are some lacunas we have in the constitution and I love what is happening now so that we can look at you holistically and see where amendment is needed like I said let me tell you the game if we have independent candidate can somebody come out in the name of the political party that he's writing a suit for example justice who has fired in court you did not sponsor me I did not run under your political party I run under as an independent candidate so what are we saying that's why I said that I love what is happening now you have to begin to appreciate why some of us have been pushing for independent candidates in Nigeria Amashallah please come in here let's have your thought on this you are a political scientist well I believe that while the my co-panelist was speaking I was trying to remember the particular case but I was unable to there's a maybe it would help me out on that the court there was an election petition where the court gave a judgment based on a technicality that the person was not included I think maybe it was in the case of on though but I'm not sure so you can't separate the person from the party because in that particular case I'm trying to remember maybe it can help me out the court gave a judgment that okay the party is included fine but the person who is standing for the party in this instance was not included and the court ruled against the person based on that particular technicality but I really can't remember them the case but I think it would not be fair to the course of justice if with the crisis in Labour Party the apapa faction had been able to for instance withdraw the case at the presidential election tribunal when the case against that particular leadership is still in court for example if the if apapa been able to withdraw the case what then happens on the long run if the supreme court rules in favor of the aburi faction whenever there is a case in court what the case what the court is interested in is ensuring that justice is served would that have served justice on peter will be as a candidate would that have served justice on the over six million Nigerians have voted for him so these are the things we need to look at except if if the the party can go ahead and withdraw the case then the national assembly should be able to put it into law that is only if there is no dispute as regards the leadership of the party in court and there must be a signature of the particular candidate itself so that when there are crises a faction of the party will not go and jeopardize the interest of the candidate as it seems to be the case in the case of the Labour Party president justice do you remember the case he was referring to yeah uh uh do you remember the case that Domo Shilla was trying to remember yeah it is it is it's referring to the case of one though the case of one in fact there are so many decided cases on that but let me also point out that's why I said I love what is happening let me also point out when a party when somebody contests election like for example i'm from imo state it happens in uh imo not the toria the district 2019 when a party contests election a candidate contests election and at the end of the day the logo of the party did not reflect in the ballot paper that election is now because the person that contested the election or the party that contested the election will go to courts to say that their their rights has been in freedom and what will i then do i then will have to cancel that election because the name of the candidate is not in the ballot paper what is the ballot paper is the is the logo of the party and the name of the party you see let us appreciate what we're saying he says something and which is right the problem we're having now is that there is expected matter in court to determine who is actually the national chairman of the party that is where we're having issues and discrepancies so based on that the matter is to some duties so if you're actually if aburi and aburi is acting as the national chairman and the proper is acting as national chairman the matter is depended so based on that premise nobody has the locus or the right now to say is going to withdraw on behalf of the party because the court has not made a pronouncement okay as it is right not a pronounce yet yeah now that aburi has gotten this has gone to appeal and has gotten the signature of the appeal court that makes him right now the national chairman does it or does it not no no no you see the matter like i said the matter is to some duties aburi has gone on appeal and the court has not made a pronouncement but remember that after appeal the matter will be also pushed to the top floor which is the supreme court is only when the supreme court takes position and makes another then it becomes law that no two is about it for now the matter is to some duties they are still under how they put it the the the fireworks of of legal battle and let me also say we talk about um um technology technology yes i agree they just also want that technical justice is not justice let's be realistic to ourselves but like i said i appreciate i love what is happening i would this will make us to begin to push more and further if you remember the just the last um national assembly amendment um of the constitution one of the amendments they brought on for the issue of independent candidate but how many nigerians supported it how many of these political parties supported it they know what they are doing because they know that it will water down the power part of the political party what you're seeing playing today is because they have no internal democracy in the political parties and that is why they are fighting the issue of independent candidates because let me tell you the truth if you have independent candidates who today in nigeria i personally just is we don't want to run under any political parties because there's no internal democracy in if we don't have political parties in nigeria what you have in nigeria is selfish influence groups so right now abu raises substantive national chairman of the party well as as he says because for now the courts have not met and and appear has been filed and i know the other party will still not be waiting once once the matter is equal these some duties you cannot say this person is very easy because he's already before the part of the courts this makes a pronouncement all right a much a lot just before we go both of you do answer this um the party had set up a security peace and conflict resolution committee uh right before the general elections if i understand correctly ah yes before the general elections they set up that committee how how is it that they've not been able this committee the elders of this party the labor party have not been able to resolve the conflicts and have allowed it to linger to this point where it's almost seeming as if it can jeopardize their chances at the presidential election tribunal to answer your question i was trying to learn from my co-partner my brother um when you ask him that he's a very substantive chairman of the party now is on the ruling of the appeal court haven't vacated the order of the i-court that's acting i didn't get his position or that i was looking for to learn from him or that we know is um sub duties but with the ruling of the appeal court who is the chairman of the labor party now is it the abourei or is it still the um is this still the abourei faction because i think it is the abourei faction because the court of higher interest has haven't vacated the order of the i-court that sucked abourei in the first instance but i was looking forward to his response so maybe he had helped me out on that where when it is the lenient fellow is afraid to come and take a position from what i understand uh he's trying he's threatening softly because it's in court if i understand your justice is that it yeah you know as we always come uh careful when we're talking about matters that i say but let me let me answer him that it's very important for the fact that the the court of appeal has made the pronouncement for now it stands as safe okay um as you ask the question you ask um why we're waiting for the connection of my brother to be okay as you ask the question do you ask it will be difficult for um the the people that were set up to manage the conflict in the political party to achieve any aim if they themselves are interested might if they um if they have a side hardly will you find anybody in the neighbor party today um that doesn't have a side whether an interest in their papa or their abourei faction once the interest is made known and it's known to um members of the political party it will be difficult for them to trust the position of those um committees they were sort of to resolve the conflict in the first place i think my brother's network is on this back so are you the floor yeah justice can you hear us now yeah yeah i can hear you what i was trying to say in event that for the fact that the court of appeal has affected that other other and come and confirming abourei the substantive term and yes it stands but the problem we have there remember i don't know we had that even the other party has gone to court to challenge that uh vacation of the court of appeal and if that is the truth which means that is for the men because once the matter is in court you cannot take a decision on it on that's why i say that the matter will have to go to the court floor which is the supreme court so if actually he has five uh uh uh uh in this thing to the supreme court which means for now every action has to be stayed until this will go makes up an estimate wow all right well that's the much time we'll permit us to take on this sorry i'm sorry um and quickly quickly before we go like the question you ask you see you network is not allowing justice to give us his final take on this hello justice well justice uhubu barista justice uhubu human rights lawyer joined us from abuja to take a look at this subject as well as mr or moshela deji a political affairs analyst he's a political scientist thank you so much gentlemen for your thoughts your insight and your time this morning as we took a look at this very critical matter on the break thanks for getting the title right and thanks for having me okay thanks for your time you're still watching the breakfast on plus tv africa we'll be back with sports in a moment stay with us