PDP sacks Segun Oni, Mustapha •Appoints 17- member caretaker committee for South-West

 by  Leon Usigbe and Jacob Segun Olatunji — Abuja

THE national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday announced the dissolution of the Chief Segun Oni led South west zonal executive committee  of the party and also proceeded to remove Chief Bode Mustapha as the National Auditor.
In Mustapha’s place, the party named Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju, who it said was the validly elected person for the post. It also announced a 17-member caretaker committee  to take over the party’s affairs in the South-West.
The party said it was complying with court orders voiding the elections of the zonal officers and the national auditor in May last year.
The decision signposted a deepening of the crisis rocking the party in the last few weeks.
Oni, members of his executive committee and Mustapha are believed to be loyalists of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Another Obasanjo loyalist and former Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, had been similarly removed as the National Secretary of the party following a court order last month.
A  statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, disclosed that  its National Working Committee (NWC) had deliberated on the protracted dispute on the Ogun State and South West zonal excecutive committees of the party, over which a series of suits were filed. Among the suits, according to the statement, were FHC/L/CS/1248/2011, FHC/L/CS/282/2012 and FHC/L/CS/347/2012 that led to the nullification of Mustapha’s appointment as the National Auditor of the party.
The statement recalled that a court had ruled that Adeyanju was the validly elected National Auditor of the party and that the PDP should rectify its records by deleting the name of Chief Bode Mustapha as National Auditor and replacing the same with Alhaji Fatai Adewole Adeyanju.
The PDP similarly said it recalled that the South West zonal congress of the party conducted in March 2012 was nullified while the executive committee constituted for the PDP in Ogun State at congresses conducted by the Chief Dayo Soremi-led harmonised executive committee for the wards, local governments and in the state in March 2012 was declared valid at the various levels in Ogun State and entitled to their four-year tenure.
Finally, the PDP noted that “the judgment directed the party to organise a fresh South West zonal congress at which access was to be given to delegates elected at congresses conducted by or under the supervision of the Soremi-led Ogun State executive and that it should accept the candidacy, for offices zoned to Ogun State, of only the persons nominated at the said congresses for the said offices.
“The National Working Committee of the party met on 14th February 2013 and gave careful consideration to the issues and decided that in line with respect to the rule of law which is a cardinal principle of the present administration, the PDP, as a law abiding party, will immediately comply with the said judgment. This is all the more so that same has not been set aside or reversed by any superior court,” the statement declared.
The election of Mustapha had in May 2012 been voided by Justice Charles Archibong of the Federal High Court in Lagos. The court had also held that based on its judgment of January 27, 2012 declaring among others, that the Soremi-led executive was the authentic management body of PDP in Ogun State, the party officials who emerged from the congresses conducted by the Soremi executive were validly elected.
The PDP has now decided to abide by the court ruling.
The court had held that Mustapha, who  emerged as the National Auditor of the party at its national convention on March 24 in Abuja, was not qualified for the office and therefore ordered that the PDP, its National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, to appoint Adeyanju, who was nominated for the office at the Ogun State congress of the party.
According to the judgment,  Mustapha “is not a valid nominee nor could he have been validly elected for the office of the National Auditor of the PDP zoned to Ogun State in accordance with the constitution of the party because he is not qualified  as an accountant or nominated by at the state congress of the party conducted by the Soremi-led harmonised executive committee.”
The court order, granted by Justice O. E. Abang in suit Number FHC/L/CS/282/2012 between Chief Dapo Soremi and others, and the PDP and five others, reads:
“That the South West zonal congress of the Peoples’ Democratic Party held in Osogbo, Osun State, on 21st March 2012 involving the election of delegates to the National Convention of the party is hereby set aside and accordingly nullified.
“The election of officers at the National Convention of the 1st respondent (PDP) involving only those that emerged as purported elected delegates from South West zonal congress of the 1st respondent (PDP) is hereby set aside and accordingly nullified.”
Meanwhile, the PDP NWC has announced the constitution of a caretaker committee to pilot the affairs of the South-West zone  of the party pending the conduct of the zonal congress.
The 17-member committee is headed by Chief Ishola Filani. Other members of the committee are Chief Pegba Otemolu, secretary: Adedeji Doherty, organising secretary; Rasak Adekonla Akanni, auditor; Bolaji Jeje, youth leader;  Orimolade Olanrewaju, treasurer; Olawunmi Oshinmoluke Yuba,  woman leader; Banji Obasanmi, financial secretary; Shola Oludipe, legal adviser and Lawal Waheed Olatunde, publicity secretary.
Others listed as ex-officio members are Emmanuel Oladejo, Olalekan Abubakar, Seun Adesanya, Samiu Babatunde, Prince Tope Ademiluyi, Tunde Olowofoyeku and Prince Omoniyi Alo.
NigerianTribune