Southwest PDP Frustrates Oyinlola’s Return Bid

Nnamdi Felix / Abuja

Nigeria’s South West chapter of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has applied to a Federal High Court in Abuja to replace former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola with Professor Adewale Oladipo as the party’s National Secretary.

In a motion on notice filed Tuesday, the party stated that its action was in compliance with the judgment delivered on 11th January, which sacked the former Osun State Governor as the party’s National Secretary on the grounds that he was not validly nominated by the Southwest chapter of the PDP.

It also requested that the court direct the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to amend their records to reflect the change.

The application specifically prayed for an order deeming the nomination of Professor Adewale Oladipo by the extra-ordinary South West Zonal Congress of the 2nd defendant, PDP, held in Ibadan on July 13, 2013 as proper and due compliance with the said judgment of this court for the purpose of the replacement of Onyinlola as the national secretary of the PDP.

The application was filed by Mr. Adebayo Dayo, Semiu Sodipo for themselves and on behalf of the PDP.

They stated that although the orders contained in the January 11 judgment were still valid, their motion was informed by the fact while the court ordered Oyinlola’s replacement within 21 days of the judgment, compliance was immediately impossible because of the internal crisis in the party.

“The South West Zonal Congress could not be conducted due to internal disharmony in the South West and failure to convene a quorum of its Executive Committee.

They however averred that following the appointment of a Caretaker Committee for the South West Zone of the party, that the process of reconciliation towards the Congress commenced.

“An Extra-ordinary South West Zonal Congress of the party was thereafter validly convened by the Caretaker Committee and conducted without rancor or disagreement on July 13, 2013 which is outside the time limited by the judgment of this Honourable Court”.

They stated that Professor Adewale Oladipo was validly and unanimously nominated to replace Onyinlola in the office of National Secretary of the party

The ousted former national secretary had earlier approached the court seeking for a stay of execution of the court’s judgment to enable him appeal the said judgment.