The battle for the soul of Ogun state PDP is, without doubt, a continuous episode of what transpired between the former chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff, and the then chairman of its national caretaker committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi.
Following the judgment at the Supreme Court, which favoured the camp of Makarfi, the new leadership of the party emerged with Prince Uche Secondus, who, it is believed, will bring a fresh life into the party nationwide.
Secondus: It will, therefore, amount to an inexplicable volte-face and unfortunate summersault if INEC were to withdraw the recognition of the approved officials of our party in Ogun State, especially the State Executive Committee led by Sikirulai Ogundele. This will certainly throw the party back into avoidable conflict
But in what political watchers have described as a revived episode of the Sheriff/Makarfi tussle, the soul of the Ogun State chapter of the party has been seriously ensnared mainly between the camp of Senator Buruji Kashamu-led faction and that of Secondus, which has Chief Sikirulai Ogundele as the state chairman of the party.
In what was seen as power flexing, both parties had earlier contacted the Independent National Electoral Commission on the need to recognise their faction of the party as an authentic chapter of the party in Ogun State.
In a letter to the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakub, by Ogun East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Buruji Kashamu, canvassed the enforcement of a recent verdict of the Federal High Court, Lagos, which directed INEC and the PDP to obey an earlier judgment of the court that declared the Adebayo Dayo-led state executive as the authentic leadership of the party in the state.
In the letter, Kashamu wondered why the commission was adamant in keeping to its tradition of obeying court orders and judgments until a superior court says otherwise.
The letter partly read, “The commission’s position with regard to the Ogun State PDP exco, negates its well-known and established tradition of giving effect to court judgments until a superior court says otherwise.
“INEC had in similar situations as this case, taken the path of honour and rectitude as shown in the cases of Chief Ejike Oguebego vs. Prince Kenneth Emeakayi over the Anambra State PDP exco; Samson Ogah vs. Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, and Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim vs. Eyitayo Jegede in the PDP governorship candidature contest in Ondo State, just to mention a few. So, what has changed? Why is the case of Ogun State PDP exco different?
“You would recall that I had written three different letters dated 29th January 2018, 5th and 12th February 2018, respectively, to you, in respect of the Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party’s executive. However, it is surprising that up to date, the commission has not replied any of the letters.
“The silence, notwithstanding, I am again constrained to write to you, particularly to draw your attention to yet another judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos, which has not been stayed or upturned on appeal.
Buruji: The court (judgement) held that the resolution of a political party in respect of a state exco cannot vitiate the subsisting judgment of a court. It also ruled that the judgment of the Supreme Court in the Ali Modu Sheriff/ Makarfi case has nothing to do with the issue of the Ogun State Exco
“Specifically, on the 9th of February, 2018, the Federal High Court, Lagos gave a judgment in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1556/2017 wherein it expressly directed the INEC and the PDP to obey the orders of the court in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/636/2016.
“As you would find in the judgment, the court held that the resolution of a political party in respect of a state exco cannot vitiate the subsisting judgment of a court. It also ruled that the judgment of the Supreme Court in the Ali Modu Sheriff/ Makarfi case has nothing to do with the issue of the Ogun State
Exco.
“So, the ill-advised decision of the commission to recognise some dissidents, instead of the authentic and legally-recognised Ogun State PDP exco, has no basis in law and it is antithetical to internal democracy and justice.”
Despite that Secondus wrote a counter-petition to the INEC to jettison Kashamu’s letter and recognise his own recognised person, Ogundele, as chairman of the party in Ogun State, INEC went ahead to grant recognition to Kashamu’s candidate as the recognised chair of the party
in Ogun.
The development brought about another fiery communication from the PDP national chairman.
In his letter, Secondus insisted that the Supreme Court had settled the Ogun chapter crisis and others in the apex court’s July 2, 2017 landmark judgment in the case of PDP versus
Sheriff.
The letter quoted part of the apex court’s judgment as saying, “It is unfortunate this internal party crisis within the appellant, has staggered a lot of its anticipated progress. In any case, it is my hope this imbroglio within the appellant will serve as a big lesson to all and
sundry.”
He asked the INEC to withdraw the recognition it had given the Dayo-led executive in compliance with the judgment of the Supreme Court.
Secondus said, “It will, therefore, amount to an inexplicable volte-face and unfortunate summersault if INEC were to withdraw the recognition of the approved officials of our party in Ogun State, especially the State Executive Committee led by Ogundele.
“This will certainly throw the party back into avoidable conflict. We believe this cannot be your intention or wish for
our party.”
