FROM: TAIWO AMODU, ABUJA
THE crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened yesterday as the national chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff overruled the national secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo on the south-west zonal congress fixed for today in Akure, Ondo State capital and Ijebu-Igbo in Ogun west senatorial district.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Oladipo said the national working committee had suspended the congress in deference to a court order asking it to put the election of its south-west executive on hold.
Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court in Lagos had restrained the main opposition party from holding the congress following an application brought before him by the incumbent zonal secretary, Chief ‘Pegba Otemolu.
The applicant had claimed that the proposed zonal congress was unlawful because the four-year tenure of the current South-West Zonal Executive, which, he claimed, began on October 11, 2014 would not end until October 11, 2018.
Otemolu is urging the court to declare that it was wrong for the party and its national officers to contemplate organising a zonal congress for the South-West when the tenure of the Zonal Executive Committee members had not elapsed.
Joined as respondents in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission; the PDP; its National Chairman and Secretary, Ali Modu Sheriff; and Prof. Wale Oladipo, respectively.
In his ruling on Thursday, Justice Buba held: “An order of interlocutory injunction is granted to the plaintiff/applicant restraining the second, third and fourth defendants from conducting or permitting or recognising any election into the offices of the South-West Zonal Executive Committee pending the hearing and determination of the Originating Summons.”
Professor Oladipo who incidentally is from Osun State told newsmen that the national leadership of the party had received the court order and would stay action on the zonal congress until the case is resolved.
Oladipo said: “We are in receipt of an order from the Federal High Court in Lagos which had ordered us to put a stop to the exercise pending when the case filed is heard and resolved. As a law abiding political party, we have been served this order. I, as the National Secretary of the party, and Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju, the National Auditor, who are the two representatives of the zone, want to tell you that the party has decided to abide by the order.”
He further disclosed that in line with the decision, the party would recall to Abuja, the committee sent to conduct the zonal congress. The outgoing national secretary of the party however told newsmen that the aborted congress would not in any way affect the scheduled national convention, as he noted that delegates for the national convention were already elected during the party ward, local government and states congresses already concluded in most states.
But Senator Ali Modu Sheriff countered Prof. Oladipo as he claimed ignorance of the court order. Sheriff said: “I have not received any court order. I am in Taraba preparing for my congress. As at the time I left the office yesterday, I did not receive a court order. If I receive a court order, I will not conduct the congress. I have not seen the national secretary. He was meant to be in Osun. I have not received any court order.
“I have given directives before I left that there should be a congress. I will only stop when court gives me order to stop. The national secretary, I have not seen him, I have not spoken to him. I am in Taraba right now trying to do my congress. I am a law abiding citizen. I don’t have a court order. Therefore, the congress will go on”
Speaking in similar vein, Secretary of the south west congress committee, Hon. Henry Iko also claimed ignorance of the court order. “There are some rumours that my committee has been called back.
“I want to tell you that as the secretary of the committee, no committee has been called back. The congress of southwest PDP is going on, you can see that I have the result sheets and all my materials to conduct the election.
“It is not to the knowledge of my very good self, it is not to the knowledge of the national chairman and I can tell you, we have not seen any court injunction to that effect. All the six states of the southwest are ready. The PDP faithful are also ready for this election.”
“I want to use this opportunity to advise that those few people carrying this rumour should join hands to build PDP as Nigerians are waiting for the PDP.”