Politics PDP Crisis: Court Orders PDP, INEC to Remove Oyinlola From Post of National Secretary

[LequteMan]

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to delete the name of former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, from their records as PDP’s National Secretary.

Adebayo Dayo (Chairman) and Semiu Sodipo (Secretary) of the Ogun State chapter of the PDP had filed a motion on notice on behalf of themselves and the chapter which named Oyinlola, the PDP and INEC as defendants.

Justice Abdulkadir Abdul-Kafarati, according to THE NATION in a ruling to the motion yesterday ordered the PDP and INEC to replace Oyinlola with Professor Adewale Oladipo, who was nominated by the Southwest PDP at the extra-ordinary zonal congress held in Ibadan (Oyo State) on July 13 this year.

The judge ordered PDP and INEC to comply with the order within three days.

He also deemed Prof. Oladipo’s nomination by the congress as replacement for Oyinlola as “proper and due compliance with the January 11 judgment.”

The court had in the January 11 judgment ordered the removal of Oyinlola from office and the conduct of a fresh congress by the Southwest PDP for the purpose of nominating a replacement.

The judge however refused attempt by applicants’ lawyer, Babs Akinwunmi, to move a motion ex-parte seeking leave for substituted service of court documents relating to a pending contempt case on Oyinlola, factional Chairman of PDP, Kawu Baraje and a chieftain of the party, Sam Jaja.

Akinwunmi had told the court that the applicants had made unsuccessful attempts to effect personal service of the documents on the three alleged contemnors.

The judge advised the applicants to file fresh affidavit indicating the failed attempts they had made to serve the defendants.

The applicants by contempt proceedings wanted the court to commit Oyinlola to prison over his alleged continuous claim to being the party’s National Secretary despite the judgment sacking him.

They also sought Baraje and Jaja to be thrown in prison for allegedly aiding Oyinlola to ignore the court’s judgment.