The 36 state chairmen of the Labour Party (LP) and that of the FCT have called on a party member, Mr Apapa Lamidi and other aggrieved members to sheath their swords and resolve issues internally.

Apapa had declared himself as the party’s national chairman in the wake of a fresh legal crisis rocking the party and took over the national secretariat of the party.

However, Mr Rotimi Kehinde, Chairman of the party’s Chairmen Forum read a communique after a meeting of the chairmen in Abuja on Saturday in which they passed a vote of confidence in Mr Julius Abure as national chairman.

Kehinde said that the 36 state chairmen as members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party met to review recent developments in the party.

“Few members of the National Working Committee (NWC), led by Comrade Lamidi and others declared themselves the new leaders of our party.

“The 36 chairmen resolved that Mr Abure remains the national chairman of LP and Comrade Lamidi’s action is accordingly repudiated and cannot stand.

“He and the others in his group grossly violated the provision of our party’s Constitution and took internal matters of the party to court without exhausting all the appropriate instituted channels of resolving disputes.

“They are by the dint of this communique directed to immediately effect withdrawal of the matter from the court and return to the path of rectitude for due process,’’ he said.

Kehinde said that the 36 chairmen condemned the act by a small fraction of the NWC led by Lamidi and others.

He added that the chairmen were of the view that Lamidi and others involved in the action did not appear to be appropriate members of LP as no member would destroy his own home.

“Those suspended by the party under the chairmanship of Abure remain suspended until the NEC decides otherwise.

“The 36 chairmen recommend that a NEC meeting should be called without further delay,’’ he said.

Kehinde added that the 36 Chairmen upheld that the NWC meeting called held by Lamidi was nullity.

According to him, any decision reached by the so-called NWC meeting is of no legal effect.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that an FCT Court on Wednesday restrained Abure from parading himself as LP’s chairman.

However, a state High Court that sat in Benin on the same day, restrained LP and all its members from any suspension of its national officers till the determination of a motion on notice.