Ogun PDP asks court to sack Oyinlola as party’s national secretary

[MrVan]

By IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

ABUJA — Chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State have approached the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, asking it to sack the erstwhile Governor of Osun State and National Secretary of the party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola from office.

The litigants who were led to court by the Chairman and Secretary of the Ogun State chapter of the PDP, Chief Adebayo Dayo and Semiu Sodipo, respectively, alleged that Oyinola emerged as the national scribe of the party through a kangaroo process they said was perfected by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former National Vice Chairman, PDP South West, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo.

They argued that in view of two separate judgments of a Federal High Court in Lagos that nullified the South West Zonal congress that produced Oyinlola as candidate, his continued stay in office is illegal, null and void since his candidacy was annulled ab-initio, noting that "something cannot be built on nothing."

Consequently, the plaintiffs through their counsel, Dr. Amaechi Nwaiwu, SAN, formulated three questions for determination by the court which are: "Whether the candidacy of Oyinlola as a nominee of the South West Zonal Chapter of the PDP and his consequent election to the office of National Secretary at the National Convention in March 2012 were not invalid, null and void by reason of the order and judgment of the Federal High Court made respectively on the 27th of April 27, 2012 in suit no FHC/L/CS/282/2012 and  May 2, 2012 in suit no FHC/L/CS/347/2012 nullifying the South West zonal congress of March 2012 from which Oyinlola emerged or ought to have emerged.

"Whether the candidacy of Oyinlola as a nominee of the South West Zonal Chapter of the PDP and his consequent election to the office of National Secretary at the National Convention in March 2012 were not invalid, null and void by reason that he was not a valid nominee of the South West zone .

As well as, "Whether the candidacy of Oyinlola as a nominee of the South West Zonal Chapter of the PDP and his consequent election to the office of National Secretary at the National Convention in March 2012 were not invalid, null and void in the combined circumstances of the said order and judgment of the Federal High Court."

Besides asking the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to delete Onyinola's name from its records and replace same with another candidate that will emerge from a fresh zonal congress to be ordered by the court, the plaintiffs, further sought "a declaration that the candidacy of Oyinlola as a nominee of the South West Zonal chapter of the PDP and his consequent election to the office of National Secretary in March 2012 were invalid, null and void by reason of the order Federal High Court made on April 27, 2012 in suit no FHC/L/CS/282/2012 nullifying the South West zonal congress of the PDP conducted in March 2012 from which Oyinlola emerged or ought to have emerged.

"A declaration that the candidacy of Oyinlola for and his consequent election to the position of National Secretary at the National Convention of PDP in March 2012 were invalid, null and void by reason that he was not a valid nominee of the South West.

"A declaration that the candidacy of Oyinlola for the position of National Secretary and his consequent election to that position were invalid, null and void in the combined circumstances of the said orders of the Federal High Courts.

"An order of the court removing Oyinlola from the office of National Secretary of the PDP.

Likewise "An order of the court directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rectify the records of the PDP by deleting the name of Oyinlola as the National Secretary and replacing same in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution with a candidate nominated at a valid congress of the South West zonal chapter of the PDP and this within 21 days of the order of the court."

In an affidavit deposed to by in one Miss. Abimbola Okuwoga, an Assistant in the chambers of Nwaiwu, the plaintiffs told the court that Oyinlola was foisted on the party by ex- President Obasanjo.

Moreso, they argued that Oyinlola was unanimously elected upon understanding that he was the nominee of the South West.

They said: "however, the South West Congress conducted on 21st March 2012 was nullified by the order and judgment of the Federal High Court on 27th April and another on 2nd May 2012 on the ground that it violated a Federal High Court order of February 16, 2012.

"That the failure to properly nominated Oyinlola at the said congress was fatal to his candidacy."

They maintained that despite the order and judgments of the Federal High Courts, PDP refused to comply with the various prohibitory and mandatory orders of courts of competent jurisdiction by allowing Oyinlola to remain in office, an action they said was capable of making the judiciary a subject of ridicule.

Vanguard Nigeria