Kashamu: Why Dissolution of Ogun, South-west PDP Excos Cannot Stand

The senator representing Ogun West, Buruji Kashamu, has explained why the dissolution of the executive council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State and South-west cannot stand.

The national convention of the party at the weekend dissolved the executive councils.
Kashamu, in a statement yesterday, said the party’s national leadership violated a court order with its decision.

He added that the judgment recognising the executive councils in Ogun and South-west was never appealed and as such still subsisting.

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on August 11 ruled: “That an order is hereby made restraining the 2nd defendant from operating in the South-west zone of the party through any committee in which the applicant, Pegba Otemolu and Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe are not members in the capacity of the Secretary and Chairman respectively of the South-west Zonal Executive of the PDP pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

“That an order of interim injunction is made restraining the 2nd defendant by itself, its officers, organs and delegates from recognising any harmonisation, restructuring or disruption of the PDP leadership structures in the South-west zone (including any purported list of delegates for the special non-elective national convention of the PDP schedule for the 12th of August, 2017 or any other date during the tenure of office of the South-west Zonal Executive Committee of which the applicant is secretary pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”
Kashamu said this order was discountenanced by the National Caretaker Committee, and National Convention.
He said: “It should be abundantly clear to all that Eddy Olafeso never had any case before the Supreme Court that he could benefit from.

“While it could be argued that the congress in Lagos State was inconclusive, the dissolution of the state executives in Osun and Ogun States was a clear travesty of justice. The congresses of these states were affirmed by the NEC before the May 21, 2016 botched convention in Port Harcourt.

“At its 74th NEC meeting held on July 17, 2017, the NEC resolved to reinstate all the state excos that were elected at the April 2016 congresses but later reversed after the February, 17, 2017 judgment of the Court of Appeal. Ogun and Osun States were not listed as part of those States.

“So, what has changed? Why were the state executives in Ondo and Ekiti States left untouched? Are these executives not also dogged with issues? In Osun State, Omisore wants to perpetually hold on to the party structure, at the detriment of the over 90 per cent of the stakeholders, in order to push through his governorship ambition even when he has failed twice. In Ogun State, OGD and Ladi Adebutu are fomenting trouble in the party, all because of their senatorial and governorship ambitions in 2019. In Lagos State, Chief Bode George seeks to hold on to the party structure even when he has not been able to win his polling booth since 1999! In Ekiti and Ondo States, the party is divided 50/50. Now, Ekiti is left in the hands of one man. No one is talking of harmonisation in Ekiti and Ondo States. They dissolved the excos in Ogun, Osun and Lagos States to satisfy Ayo Fayose, Iyiola Omisore, OGD and Chief George. What an injustice! What a double standard!”

Kashamu said: “The supremacy of any party’s constitution is subject to the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as clearly stated in Chapter 1, section 2 of our party’s constitution.”
He added: “The Ogun State PDP Executive under the leadership of Adebayo Dayo has a court judgment and orders legitimising it as the duly and validly elected State Executive until 2020. This clearly allows the Adebayo Dayo-led executive to remain in office and carry out all its due responsibilities and functions.

“For the above reasons, the Dayo-led exco will remain in office till 2020 regardless of its purported dissolution, because the action taken by the NEC and convention of our great party is an illegal act. You cannot build something on nothing and expect it to stand.

“I believe that the so-called dissolution of the Dayo-led Ogun State exco never took place. It was not the authentic state exco that was dissolved. Rather, it was the parallel structure being promoted by the impostors that was dissolved.

“I understand that the amateurs are misconstruing a Supreme Court judgment that says it is only the national leadership that can submit names to the regulatory agency, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“While this may be true, it does not mean that the national body would just write names from the air and submit to INEC. It has to conduct primaries at a congress to be chaired by the State Chairman of the respective state executive. Anytime the national leadership fails to comply with this constitutional provision, it will always run into a cul-de-sac.

“The Supreme Court could not have given the NWC, NEC or the convention the right to disregard due process, court orders or judgments. It cannot encourage anyone or any institution to be above the law. The constitution of the PDP and PDP itself are products of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Therefore, the convention conducted on August 12, 2017, with illegal delegates, and the decisions taken at the meeting cannot stand because they were done in defiance of valid court orders and judgments.”