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Court-induced suspension rocks Ekiti PDP factions

By Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head, South West Bureau, Ado Ekiti)
31 January 2017   |   3:44 am
The crisis rocking the Ekiti State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has escalated as the court validated Senator Ali Modu Sheriff-led National Working Committee (NWC), suspended the factional chairman, Mr. Gboyega Oguntuase....
Ayodele Fayose  of Ekiti State

Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State

Mischief makers out to scuttle our ambition for 2018 poll, says Oguntuase

The crisis rocking the Ekiti State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has escalated as the court validated Senator Ali Modu Sheriff-led National Working Committee (NWC), suspended the factional chairman, Mr. Gboyega Oguntuase along with some members of the executives loyal to governor Ayodele Fayose and the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee.

But Oguntuase claimed that he remains the authentic chairman of the party as he also announced the suspension of the vice chairman, Ikere local council, Mr. AdebayoTaiwo and a supervisory councilor, Mr. Victor Adeniyi from the party.

Also suspended is the publicity secretary of the party, Jackson Adebayo and secretary, Tope Anjorin.The Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, had in a judgment delivered last week, by Justice Taiwo Taiwo, dissolved Oguntuase’s group, and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to grant Ajayi’s group recognition.

Oguntuase belongs to Ahmed Markafi’s caretaker committee while Ajayi is a product of Ali Modu Sheriff’-led executive.A statement signed by the deputy chairman of the party, Engr. Olasunkanmi Ogunbiyi, secretary, Elder Obe Ilesanmi and the public relations officer, Mr. Dayo Owolabi, said the action became imperative, following series of anti-party allegations leveled against the victims.

“Sequel to various allegations of anti-party activities leveled against them, particularly based on their roles in the parallel congress held at Adetiloye hall, under the supervision of Governor Fayose on 10th May, 2016.

“And upon investigation, more importantly the judgment of the Federal High Court of 24th January, 2017, the SWC hereby resolved to suspend Mr. Oguntuase and his team of impostors forthwith”, they said in the statement.

Probably as a form of reprisal, the PDP loyal to Fayose suspended Taiwo and Adeniyi.Also, a Commissioner with the Ekiti State House of Assembly Service Commission, Mr. Bode Adewole, is being investigated by the Oguntuase-led executive for similar offence.

It was reliably gathered yesterday in Ado Ekiti that those suspended and being investigated by the party, have been summoned to the party’s secretariat in the state capital to face disciplinary action.

Meanwhile, the Oguntuase’s faction has described the court judgment against them by a Federal High Court as an attempt to weaken the party in the state with the ultimate aim of rendering the party incapacitated to win the 2018 governorship election in state.

Oguntuase, who insisted that he remains the chairman vowed to appeal the court judgment that removed him in a systematic manner very soon, saying: “The truth upon which they stand is enduring towards the appeal.”

According to him, “the judgment was based on judicial rascality and insanity, which would not dissuade them from winning the 2018 governorship election.” He maintained that anybody possessed by the judgment of Justice Okon Abang cannot operate or have its way in the state.

Oguntuase, noted that the judgment was based on humour and insanity bereft of all imagination. He said anybody who is sacking them in the state would have to suspend the executive at the Government House and the legislature at the state House of Assembly, National Assembly and all local government chairmen in the state.

The sacked chairman with other SWC members later condemned the Makanjuola Ogundipe-led PDP zonal chairman for its alleged complicity.Oguntuase use the opportunity to debunk the insinuation that three of the state executive members have been suspended from the party by the Sheriff’s faction of the executive of the PDP in the state.

Meanwhile, the state chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) Prince Tunji Ogunlola has congratulated Ajayi for emerging as the PDP chairman.

In a statement, Ogunlola said that its position had always been that it would not deal with any faction of the PDP until there is a pronouncement from the court.

“With the recent judgment of the court, we can now recognize Mr. William Ajayi-led executive as the authentic state executive of the PDP. It is on this strength that we are congratulating Mr. Ajayi as the Chairman with his entire executive from the state to ward levels. This is the beauty of democracy,” he stated.

Ogunlola charged Ajayi to do all within his powers to bring the party together so as to fulfill its mandate of mobilizing and enlightening the grassroots on the activities of government in the state.In a similar vein, the conference also congratulated Fayose over his appointment as chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum.

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