Many would have thought that with the victory of Dapo Abiodun The All Progressives Congress as the Ogun State governor, members of the main opposition, The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will come together to find a lasting solution to the ‘war’ that rocked the party before the election in the state.
One year after the party lost woefully at the poll, the war between the party gladiators, Ladi Adebutu and Buruji Kashamu rages on.
It was gathered that, the unending power play between the former National Assembly members has continued to tear the party apart.
Penultimate week, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja granted an order to prevent the Buruji faction led by Engr Adebayo Dayo from conducting ward, local government and state congresses in the state. But the congresses took place as Buruji and his loyalists ignored the alleged order. A source revealed that shortly before this, the faction had issued a statement rubbishing the purported order.
“Anyone who knows the dissidents in our midst would know that they are pathological liars whose stock in trade is deceit. No court granted any order. If they claim anything to the contrary, we challenge them to show the whole world the said order!
“In their usual character, they secretly went to the Federal High Court in Abuja to file a suit and wanted to get ex parte orders against us.
“But Justice Inyang Ekwo dashed their hope and refused to grant any ex parte order.
“Rather, the court ordered that the processes should be served on us. We were served and our counsel, Prince Ajibola Oluyede, appeared in the matter today and filed a preliminary objection to the suit. “
“After a lot of arguments, especially as it relates to their desperate bid to make the court to grant a restraining order against us, the court refused to make any order but advised parties not to do anything that will destroy the “res” (substance) of the case.
“However, it is instructive to note that the Federal High Court, Abuja, cannot sit on appeal over a matter long decided by a court of coordinate jurisdiction.
“The Constitution of our great party, the 24th of June, 2016 judgment of the Federal High Court in FHC/L/CS/636/2016; the decisions of the Court of Appeal in CA/L/864/2016 on the 4th of May, 2017 and 11th July, 2018 as well as the judgment of the Supreme Court in SC. 968/2018 on the 11th of February, 2019, which are still subsisting, binding and unappeallable owing to the effluxion of time, empower Engr. Adebayo Dayo as the Chairman of the PDP to be the Chairman of the State Congress.
“And as law-abiding citizens, we will always uphold the rule of law, no matter the shenanigans of the desperadoes. We are focused and remain unperturbed, ’’ the statement showed. Although it was gathered that the Adebutu faction is more recognised by the national body of the party, more popular with larger members, they are at loggerheads over the control of the structure of the party in the state.
The war has polarised the party and affected its performance at the polls as Adebutu and Kashamu are laying claims to the candidature of the party.
