Court Restrains PDP From Dissolving Ogun Factional Exco

JUSTICE Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Lagos Wednesday restrained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from going ahead with plans to dissolve the Adebayo Dayo-led executive of the party in Ogun State.

   Justice Abang, in a brief ruling, ordered parties to maintain status quo and refrain from acting on any dissolution plan pending the determination of a contempt suit filed by the Dayo-led executive of the party.

   The Dayo-led executive, believed to be loyal to Prince Buruji Kashamu, a chieftain of the PDP, had initiated contempt of court suit against former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole.

   Apart from Bankole, others mentioned as alleged contemnors in the committal proceedings are the PDP, former Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel and a former member of the House of Representatives from the state, Dave Salako.

   In the committal proceedings, it was alleged that the alleged contemnors (Bankole, Daniel and Salako) have been indulging in series of activities to remove the Dayo-led executive, despite two separate judgments of the Federal High Court affirming the legality of the executive.

   When the case came up last week Wednesday for the first time via ex-parte application, Justice Abang had granted leave to the applicants to serve the alleged contemnors with the processes in the matter via substituted means. 

   The ex-parte application was argued by lawyer to the applicants, R.A Oluyede, while the applicants are Adebayo Dayo and Semiu Sodipo, who sued for themselves and on behalf of Ogun State PDP executive.

   When the matter came up again on Wednesday, out of the three alleged contemnors, only Bankole was represented in court by his lawyer, Afolabi Fashanu (SAN), while it was established from the records of court that others were yet to be served with the processes in the matter.

   Fashanu had stated that in view of the fact that others were yet to be served, there was no way the matter could go on, and then asked for adjournment.

   In response, Oluyede urged the court to preserve the res (main issue) of the case by ordering parties to maintain status quo.

   He said the alleged contemnors, despite the pendency of the case, were making serious efforts to present the court with fait accompli by going ahead with the plans to dissolve the Dayo-led executive.

   In a brief ruling, Justice Abang granted the prayer and ordered parties to maintain status quo.

The matter was subsequently adjourned to November 25.

   Justice Abang had, at the last adjourned date, declined to grant an interim injunction restraining the National Integration Committee of the PDP from dissolving the Ogun State Executive Committee of the party.

   The judge also declined to grant interim injunction restraining the alleged contemnors from conducting themselves in such manner that is designed to disrupt the structure of the Ogun PDP as presently constituted.

   Also, Justice Abang declined to issue an interim injunction restraining the alleged contemnors from participating in any activities of the PDP in Ogun State including meetings, congresses and or primaries except as organised by the Dayo-led executive.

   According to the judge, the justice of the matter requires that the said alleged contemnors should be allowed to present their side of the issue before a decision is taken.

   In a supporting affidavit, the applicants alleged that just as Ondo State PDP executive was recently dissolved, the alleged contemnors have also been making frantic moves to ensure that the Ogun PDP executive is equally dissolved, with the aim of handling the party structure in the state to their surrogates and loyalists.

   They alleged that because Bankole was nursing the ambition to become Ogun State governor, he was not comfortable with the present PDP executive in the state, and had been attempting to ensure that the present executive is sacked by the National Integration Committee of the PDP.

   The applicants further alleged that Daniel and Salako were also not comfortable with the current executive of the party in the state as the Dayo-led executive was perceived to be working against their political interest.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN