Officers of the Nigeria Police Force have taken over the Labour Party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

The crisis rocking the party deepened on Thursday, after seven members of the National Working Committee, NWC, installed the National Vice-Chairman (South), Lamidi Bashir Apapa, as the acting chairman of the party.

Apapa replaced suspended chairman, Julius Abure.

Speaking after an emergency meeting, Apapa said the NWC members acted on the judgement of an Abuja High Court, which barred Abure from parading himself as LP’s National Chairman.

Apart from Abure, the court also restrained the National Secretary, Umar Farouk Ibrahim; the National Treasurer, Oluchi Opara; and the National Organising Secretary, Clement Ojukwu.

Apapa told journalists that the NWC also reviewed the suspension of party members and exco that had earlier been suspended by the party leadership.