PDP finally kicks out Oyinlola

Oyinlola

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP], Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, yesterday installed the Deputy National Secretary, Mr. Solomon Onwe, as Acting National Secretary. Former Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, was last Friday removed as national secretary by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Abdul Kafarati held that Oyinlola’s election to the position was a “flagrant violation of two court orders.’’ Justice Kafarati said that evidence existed before the court that two separate orders from a court in Lagos dated April 27, 2012 and May 2, 2012 stopped the congress that made Oyinlola South-West candidate for the post.
He noted that “the action of those officials who conducted the congress was criminal and against the rule of law, saying they could have been committed to prison. “Oyinlola is to immediately stop parading himself as the National Secretary of the PDP,’’ Kafarati declared. But despite filing notice of appeal and application for a stay of execution of the judgment shortly after it was delivered, the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, yesterday in a memo, ‘Assignment of specific duties,’’ dated January 14, 2012 and addressed to Onwe, directed the latter to assume office as National Secretary in acting capacity.
The letter reads: ‘’In pursuant to powers conferred on me by Chapter V section [1] 35 [1][b] as well as section 36[2] of the PDP 2012 Constitution [as amended], you are hereby directed to act as the National Secretary and conduct all correspondences of the party, issue notices of meeting of the National Convention, the National Executive Committee [NEC] the national caucus and the National Working Committee [NWC] as stipulated in the Constitution of our great party. This directive takes immediate effect and should be communicated to all the levels and offices of the party.’’ Section 36[2] which Alhaji Tukur relied on to direct Onwe, empowers him to work with :’’’ A Deputy National Secretary who shall assist the National Secretary in the discharge of his duties and shall act for him in his absence, or whenever so directed.’’
A Daily Sun source revealed that an emergency meeting of the NWC of the party expected to hold yesterday was boycotted by a sizeable number of the committee and they could not form a quorum. The source revealed that Alhaji Tukur took the decision to install Onwe, following consultations with the PDP lawyer, Joe Kyari Gadzama [SAN], who advised the party to comply with the judgment of Justice Abdul Kafarati. “It was after his legal counsel that the National Chairman of the party wrote Onwe to assume office in acting capacity’’.
Further checks by Daily Sun revealed that governors on the party’s platform, who have queued behind Prince Oyinlola were poised to kick against Tukur’s unilateral decision, as the PDP 2012 Constitution, [as amended] which he premised his action was yet to be ratified by the party’s highest decision-making organ, the NEC.
Meanwhile, Oyinlola is to approach the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal, asking it to set aside the Federal High Court ruling which removed him from office last Friday. Findings by Daily Sun, however, indicated that the appeal, though prepared by his lawyers, was yet to be filed by Press time.
SUN