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Tag: Ogun PDP

  • 2023 Elections: INEC reinstates all PDP candidates in Ogun state

    2023 Elections: INEC reinstates all PDP candidates in Ogun state

     

    In accordance to the Appeal Court that set aside the sacking of all the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has relisted all the candidates of the party.

    INEC has released an updated list with all the People’s Democratic Party candidates appearing on the list.

    The Ogun state PDP Candidate Ladi Adebutu and his deputy Adekunle Akinlade top the list of the party’s representative for the 2023 general election in the country.

    Recall that INEC had earlier removed Adebutu and 39 other candidates of the PDP from its list of candidates in Ogun State, citing a court order.

    An  Abeokuta Federal High Court on September 27 ordered the electoral umpire to remove all PDP candidates after nullifying all its primary elections.

    But, the Ibadan Appeal Court set aside the judgment on November 28, saying Segun Seriki, Taiwo Olabode, Samson Bamgbose and others did not have the locus standi to challenge the primaries as they were not aspirants.

    In a statement titled, ‘Amended List of Final List of Candidates Pursuant To Court Orders’, INEC recalled that it published the final list of governorship candidates on October 4, 2022, in accordance with the provisions of Section 32 of the Electoral Act, 2022.

    “After the said publication, the Commission was served Orders of Court in respect of the nomination of candidates for Governorship, Senatorial, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly elections.

    “By virtue of the provision of Section 287 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Commission is bound to enforce the Orders of Court on the Nomination of candidates by political parties in the affected Constituencies,” it was said.

    Consequently, INEC said the lists of candidates were amended pursuant to the Orders of Court served on it as of December 21, 2022, for upload on its website.

    With this, all Ogun PDP candidates, including Olumde Aderinokun of Ogun Central, Toyin Amuzu of Abeokuta South Federal Constituency and others, have been reinstated as contestants in the 2023 polls.

     

  • Ogun PDP governorship crisis: Court sets date to deliver judgement

    Ogun PDP governorship crisis: Court sets date to deliver judgement

    A Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, on Thursday, fixed Dec. 1 for judgment in a suit filed by Mr Jimi Lawal, an aggrieved governorship aspirant in the May 25 Ogun Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s primary election.

    Justice Inyang Ekwo fixed the date after counsel to the parties adopted their processes and presented their arguments for and against the suit.

    Newsmen reports that Lawal, in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/773/22, had sued the PDP, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Mr Oladipupo Adebutu as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.

    Lawal, who contested the May 25 governorship primary poll of the PDP, had challenged the emergence of Adebutu as party’s candidate.

    He alleged that an unlawful delegates list was used by the party to conduct its election.

    Lawal, among others, had prayed that the purported primary election of May 25 be cancelled and another be conducted with the authentic ad-hoc delegates.

    Newsmen reports that the matter, which was earlier before Justice Taiwo Taiwo of a FHC, was, however, dismissed on the grounds that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter.

    Justice Taiwo, in his judgment delivered on July 29, held that the primary election was a domestic affair of any political party.

    Not satisfied, Lawal approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja with a prayer that the decision of the FHC be voided and set aside on the ground of miscarriage of justice.

    A three-man panel of justices of the Court of Appeal in their judgment delivered on September 30, agreed with Jimi Lawal, set aside the judgment of the FHC and ordered that the suit be heard on its merit.

    The PDP, also not satisfied with the Court of Appeal’s decision, approached the Supreme Court, praying that the judgment of the Federal High Court be upheld to the effect that the conduct of the primary election is its domestic affair.

    The Supreme Court, on Monday, dismissed an appeal brought before it by the PDP.

    The apex court ordered that the suit instituted by Lawal be remitted to the FHC for a fresh trial.
    Delivering Judgement, Justice Ibrahim Saulawa held that the FHC was wrong in declining jurisdiction in the matter of Lawal.

    The apex Court agreed with the Court of Appeal in Abuja that the FHC had jurisdiction under Section 285 of the 1999 Constitution and Section 84 [14) of the Electoral Act, 2022 to hear the matter on its merit.

    The Supreme Court, therefore, ordered that the case be remitted to the Chief Judge of the FHC for determination by another judge other than Justice Taiwo who refused to entertain the suit.

    Upon resumed hearing on Thursday, Lawal’s counsel, Mr Kanu Agabi, urged the court to uphold his submission while Mr Chris Uche:SAN, who appeared for PDP and Adebutu, prated the court to grant his preliminary objection and dismiss the suit in its entirety for being frivolous and lacking in merit.

    After listening to the lawyers, including counsel to the INEC, Bashir Abubakar, Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter until Dec. 1 for judgment.

  • Ogun PDP: No rerun of primaries in the state – State Chairman, Ogundele

    Ogun PDP: No rerun of primaries in the state – State Chairman, Ogundele

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun state has issued out a warning to all its members that there is not going to be a rerun of primaries in the state.

    The Ogun state chairman, Sikirulahi Ogundele made this statement available to pressmen on Friday in the state.

    Ogundele recalled that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party had appealed a Federal High Court judgment that nullified all the primary elections of the PDP in Ogun, saying the NWC confirmed this in a statement issued on October 4 by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba.

    He stated that NWC, having appealed the judgement, could not have organized any other primary election.

    He added that any member of the party who engages in any form of disobedience as regards unapproved party re-run will be dealt with.

    The statement reads: “The Ogun state chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hereby distance itself from any purported primary election for aspirants of the party.

    “Recall that the National Working Committee (NWC) of our party had appealed the judgements that nullified the primary elections of the party which was contained in a press release by the NWC on 4th October, 2022 signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba.

    “The NWC had appealed the judgements and could not have organised any purported primary election.

    “I wish to state clearly that I have the mandate of our National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu that sanctions await any form of disobedience.

    “Therefore, we urge all party faithful to remain calm and focused as we await the appeal court verdict.”

    It was gathered that a faction of the party is planning to hold a parallel primary on Saturday.

  • Ogun PDP: I’m the authentic governorship candidate – Adebutu

    Ogun PDP: I’m the authentic governorship candidate – Adebutu

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Hon. Ladi Adebutu has sent a message to another member of the party, Segun Showunmi to stop parading himself as the party’s factional candidate.

    Adebutu added that Showunmi should stop misleading the media into believing there are two governorship aspirants in the Ogun PDP.

    Adebutu said there is nothing like a factional candidate in an election, saying there can only be factional aspirants.

    The Ijebu-born politician noted that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) forwarded his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and it has been accepted and published by the electoral umpire.

    He said he was duly elected in a primary election monitored by INEC and the party’s NWC, stating that his name has been published on the INEC portal as the 2023 gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Ogun.

    He added that he was surprised to see that Showunmi still parades himself as the factional candidate of the party.

    Speaking at the party’s inaugural meeting of the Ogun Central Campaign Council held at the OOPL, Abeokuta, Adebutu maintained that there is no basis for anybody to parade himself as a factional candidate after INEC has released the names of qualified and duly elected candidates.

    “Showunmi who knows he did not partake in the primary election is now making noise in the media, being addressed as the factional candidate. I have never heard of anything like a factional candidate in my life. Those two things are exclusive; you can be a factional aspirant, you cannot be a factional candidate. There can be only one candidate. You cannot be a factional candidate.

    ”The party said this is my candidate. The INEC published the same person as the candidate of the party, yet some people are still addressing Showunmi as the factional candidate. Are they doing that in the interest of the public? This is a big question,” Adebutu said.

    Addressing the PDP members, Adebutu said there must be inclusiveness to promote inter-party relations.

    The purpose, he said, is to give new defectees a sense of belonging by carrying everybody along during the campaign.

    Similarly, the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Adekunle Akinlade said the party is prepared for a robust and issue-based campaign ahead of next year’s election.

    According to Akinlade, the PDP had in the last couple of works engaged in thorough discussions about strategies with the party’s technical teams, expressing confidence that the PDP would win the 2023 elections.

    In his words, the Coordinator of Inter-Party Affairs for PDP Campaign in Ogun Central, Oladele Olaleye, stated that the party has created a means to receive support from members of other political parties as well as non-politicians who love the PDP or its candidates.

    As the Coordinator in Ogun Central, Olaleye said the gathering was to coalesce people from the six local governments in Ogun Central – Abeokuta South, Abeokuta North, Ewekoro, Ifo, Odeda, and Obafemi Owode.

    He added that the Local Government and Ward Coordinators are brought together so they could start mobilizing support for the PDP at the grassroots.

     

  • Ogun PDP: I will be on the ballot – Factional governorship candidate, Showunmi

    Ogun PDP: I will be on the ballot – Factional governorship candidate, Showunmi

    In Ogun state, the factional governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Segun Showunmi, has posited that he will be on the ballot in next year’s general election in the state.

    Showunmi noted that members of the party and stakeholders are aware of the court’s verdict that recognizes him as the party’s governorship candidate in 2023 general election.

    He made this statement known during a press briefing with journalists in Lagos.

    He said, “I will be on the ballot in the governorship election in Ogun State, especially as a Court of Appeal in Abuja has given a consequential order dismissing the ruling of a lower court over jurisdiction to hear the suit between myself, the PDP and others.

    “So, as it concerns the supposed recognition here and there, don’t worry, they will recognise everything that needs to be recognised. As you are well aware that the Court of Appeal has given us the first favourable judgment, and I trust that we will be fine.

    “To be fair, I don’t think we are divided. We both accept the supremacy of our national organs. My position is that whatever it is they called their primary is a charade; it can’t hold and stand. The primary that produced me as a candidate followed all the extant laws of the country, and in due season, they will come to the point they have to be.

    “We have been in the democracy for some time now, and I have become convinced that in our country the highest working arm of government is the Federal Government, and I feel that over the years we have been satisfied with criticising the Federal Government and demanding things from the Federal Government without a commensurate desire to do the same at the state level.

    “If we could just pay more attention to what is going on in our state, then invariably, we will be cleaning the space from where we are standing. I expect that going forward, if I become the Governor of Ogun State, I expect that it will be a completely different paradigm and that’s why I am running on a new deal.”

  • Ogun PDP: Deputy chairman dumps party, conceals his reasons

    Ogun PDP: Deputy chairman dumps party, conceals his reasons

    Ogun state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deputy chairman,  Hon. Leye Odunjo has left his position and the party ultimately for reasons best known to him.

    This information was contained in a letter he wrote to the party’s National Chairman, Sen Iyorchia Ayu, on Thursday.

    In the letter, sent through the Ogun State Chairman of the PDP, Sikirulai Ogundele, he said: “I humbly write to inform Your Excellency of my decision to resign as the state Deputy Chairman of Ogun State and as a member of the party.”

    The former House of Assembly member didn’t reveal any reason for dumping the party but explained that it was “personal and divine.”

    Odunjo had been a member of the PDP since 1998 and has served as the party’s State Chairman (West) twice, acting State Deputy Chairman and State Deputy Chairman, until his resignation.

    On the platform of the PDP, he was elected twice as a member of the Ogun State House of Assembly.

    At various times, he was a governorship aspirant, House of Representatives aspirant, and the senatorial candidate of the party in the 2019 election.

    “This will come as a rude shock to many of the party members,” Odunjo posited as he appreciated Ogundele and all members of the State working committee for their support and the love they shared.

    The Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government indigene said: “It was nice working with you all. I’m going to miss you all.”

  • 2023: Panel declares Adebutu PDP flagbearer in Ogun state

     

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  governorship primary electoral committee has declared Oladipupo Adebutu as the flagbearer of the party in Ogun state.

    The guber primary which was  held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, in Abeokuta, was concluded around 10:30 pm on Wednesday after which Adebutu was declared the winner.

    The PDP primary election electoral committee chairman in the state, Akase Sorkaa, announced Adebutu as the winner of the election.

    Sorkaa said Adebutu polled a total of 714 votes to defeat other contestants; Segun Sowunmi, Jimi Lawal, and Abimbola Abodunrin who all did not get any vote.

    There was violence before the commencement of the primary which forced Lawal to walk away over disagreement on delegates list.

    While Lawal insisted that the delegates’ list certified by the Independent National Electoral Commission must be used for the primary, Adebutu disagreed, saying the list generated by the national leadership would be used.

    Shortly after his emergence, Adebutu expressed satisfaction at the conduct of the exercise, saying he was happy with his election as the candidate of the party.

    He said, “We will continue to encourage the other aspirants, that this journey is for the sake of mankind, and the impoverished people of Ogun State. It is not for a particular person and it’s the sacrifice that we need to all make

    “I believe that the other aspirants mean well, and will surely act in the good interest of Ogun State by coming into the fold so that we can do the job together.”

    When TheNewsGuru.com contacted Adebutu’s media director Orekoya Afolabi, he assured that they are now fully focused on the main course which is the general election in 2023

    ”We are not bothered about any distraction whatsoever, what we will focus on is the general election coming up next year” He said.

  • Ogun PDP exco begs IGP to investigate $250,000 bribery allegation against Justice Shittu

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) executive in Ogun State has called on the Inspector General of the Police to investigate the alleged bribery allegation against a Federal High Court judge in Ogun State.

    This was contained in a letter dated June 4, 2020 and signed by the chairman and secretary of the party, Honourable Samson Kayode Bamgbose and Mr Adeleke Shittu respectively.

    The two, in the letter entitled Call for Investigation Into Alleged $250,000 Bribery Allegation In Respect of Suit No: FHC/AB/CS/44/2020 –Bamgbose & ORS V PDP & ORS, said, “Our attention has been drawn to a petition written in respect of the suit by the Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Elder Yemi Akinwonmi, that we bribed Honourable Justice Abubakar Shittu with the sum of $250,000 to do our bidding in the suit pending before the honourable judge.”

    The party chairman and secretary denied the allegation and called on the Inspector General to investigate the matter.

    According to the duo, though they came across the petition on a social media platform, “As parties in the matter and those alleged to have ‘bought’ judgment, we are obliged to respond to the allegation even when it lacks merit and material fact.”

    In the letter, which was copied to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, the PDP chiefs claimed that the allegation against the judge was as a result of his refusal to be compromised by those accusing him of taking bribe.

    “It is clear that the Honourable Justice Shittu became a marked person since they could not compromise him in 2019. Hence, the resort to cheap blackmail, outright fabrications and lies,” they said.

    While stressing the need for the Inspector General to institute a probe of the allegation, they said, “We believe that this is the way to go to serve as a test case and deterrence to those in the habit of making false and unsubstantiated allegations against law-abiding citizens and public officials, including members of the Nigeria Police Force because they believe that nothing will happen.”

  • Our inauguration legal, valid – Ogun PDP chairman

    The new chairman of the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Honourable Samson Bamgbose, has said the inauguration of the new State Executive Committee last Friday complied with the laws of the land and therefore valid.

    Bambgose, who said this on Sunday, was reacting to a statement credited to Prince Uche Secondus and Senator Umaru Tsauri, National Chairman and National Secretary of the PDP respectively, dissociating the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party from the newly inaugurated state executive committee in Ogun State.

    But Bamgbose, in a statement, noted that while the position of the NWC was not unexpected, “it is disturbing that our leaders in this great party still do not understand (or just don’t care) that all politics is local and that handing over the structures of the PDP to Ladi Adebutu (whose only desire for seeking such control is to guarantee his ambition of being the candidate of the party for the Ogun State gubernatorial elections in 2023) is a recipe for depletion of the commitment of members to the party in Ogun State and defeat at the polls.”

    According to the new chairman, the issue as to which organ of the party is empowered to conduct congresses for the elections of party leaders in Ogun State had been resolved in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/636/2016, which reposed the powers in the party’s state executive committee.

    He said, “The courts in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/347/2012 and successive cases (particularly Suit No. FHC/L/CS/636/2016) have sought to create a special case for the conduct of congresses and primaries in the Ogun State Chapter of the PDP.

    “Therefore, in its judgment in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/636/2016 of 24th June 2016, the Federal High Court (echoing its earlier judgment in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/347/2012) ordered (inter alia) in favour of the Adebayo Dayo led PDP Ogun State Executive Committee (OGSEC) as follows:

    “That an order is granted to the Plaintiff (Adebayo Dayo led PDP OGSEC) restraining the 2nd Defendant (PDP) by itself, its agents, servants, proxies and surrogates from henceforth conducting the affairs of the PDP in Ogun State, including meetings, congresses and/or primaries except through the new officers of the party that have emerged from congresses conducted by the plaintiffs as listed in the exhibits attached to the affidavit in support of this originating summons.

    “That an order is granted to the plaintiff directing the 1st defendant (INEC) to deal exclusively with the new Ogun State officers of the PDP that emerged from the congresses conducted by the plaintiffs (as listed in exhibits attached to the affidavit in support of this originating summons) in the conduct of the 2nd defendant’s (PDP’s) programmes in Ogun state including congresses and primaries of the party until the four years tenure to which they have been elected is spent.”

    Bamgbose said the validity of the judgment had been challenged at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court where it was dismissed.

    The PDP chairman stressed that the organ empowered to conduct congresses for the PDP in Ogun State is the judicially recognized state executive committee.

    He added, “Currently, the unassailable position is that congresses have been validly concluded by the outgone, judicially protected PDP OGSEC and new officers (that emerged in accordance with the terms of the orders in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/636/2016 set out above) have been validly inaugurated on the last day of the judicially recognized and specified tenure of the outgone leadership.

    “My colleagues and I (following that inauguration) have now legally and validly taken over the running of the affairs of the Party in Ogun State.”

    The PDP state chairman described the claim that the congresses that produced the new state executive and the inauguration contravened the interim injunction order made by Justice Inyang Ekwo, in suit No FCT/AB/CS/208/2020 on March 4, 2020 directing the maintenance of status quo until the hearing of the notice, Bamgbose as untrue because there was no interim injunction against the conduct of congresses in the state.

    He explained that Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/208/2020 was instituted by some national officers of the PDP to seek a review of the judgment which had ordered that only the said authentic PDP state executive could conduct congresses or primaries of the PDP in Ogun State.

    According to him, the plaintiffs had applied for an order of the court to stop the PDP OGSEC from conducting congresses and the court had refused the application and directed that the defendants be put on notice.

    Bamgbose said “By March 3, 2020, when this matter came up, a preliminary objection had been filed on behalf of the Adebayo Dayo led OGSEC, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the action.

    “In the face of this preliminary objection, the court could not and did not entertain any application to stop the conduct of PDP congresses in Ogun State; the Supreme Court has directed that in such circumstances the court whose jurisdiction is being challenged cannot make any order against the interest of the party challenging its jurisdiction.

    “It was whilst adjourning the case for hearing of the preliminary objection and other applications that the judge on his own volition made the remark that “parties should refrain from doing anything that will tamper with the res of the action.

    “This was not an order restraining conduct of congresses or for maintenance of status quo as misrepresented in PDP NWC.”
    Bamgbose added that to consolidate the position of the executive, “we decided to take ourselves outside possible allegations of breach of the ‘order’ or of contempt of court by appealing against the order and filing an application for its stay. It is a known dictum in law that a party cannot be in contempt of court when he disobeys an order he has appealed against and filed an application to stay.”

    Bamgbose said the state executive was willing to accord the national leadership of the party its deserved respect but the leaders must learn to operate within the ambit of the law.

    He added that the state executive was amenable to working with the NWC to bring feuding groups together in the state and position the party to take over the reins of government in 2023.

  • Suspended Ogun PDP chairman, not interested in genuine reconciliation – Kashamu

    The Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate in the 2019 governorship election in Ogun State, Senator Buruji Kashamu, has said that the party’s suspended chairman, Chief Adebayo Dayo, is not interested in reconciling members of the party but in feathering his own nest.

    Kashamu said this in a statement he released on Sunday in Lagos.

    The former lawmaker, who was reacting to a statement credited to the suspended party chairman, said “Contrary to his claim and pretence to facilitating reconciliation, Chief Dayo was only after what he could grab before leaving office. That is the only reason why he betrayed the Ogun State PDP structure and its leadership by selling 70 per cent of the party structure to Hon. Ladi Adebutu and 30 per cent for himself.”

    Senator Kashamu said while reconciliation is important to return the party in Ogun State to its winning ways, it is only the national body of the party that can broker it.

    According to Kashamu, “I have never opposed any reconciliatory move because I know a tree does not make a forest. But, having shown his hands, Dayo cannot preside over any reconciliatory move. He cannot even be part of it because he does not have the integrity to do so. Rather, it should be championed by those who have the trust and confidence of the two main tendencies. The national leadership of the party is in a better position to call everyone, hear from them and resolve the issues in order for the PDP to move forward in Ogun State.

    “As a matter of fact, when Chief Dayo, Chief R.A Adenaike (a.k.a Baba Oloolu), Dr. Remilekun Bakare, Chief Kola Sorinola and the Acting PDP Chairman in Ogun State, Hon. Samson Bamgbose (a.k.a Imisi) came to meet me about the need for reconciliation, I told them that it was a good idea so long as they carry key stakeholders along after the congresses. I also told them that it was imperative for the other people to publicly repudiate the three-year agreement that they had with the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). But, Dayo chose to sidestep everyone and went behind to betray structure and purportedly sold it. This is nothing but a scam!

    “There was no genuine reconciliation in his moves. Reconciliation is a process. Parties have to meet, discuss and agree on the modalities and terms of settlement. There was no way he would think that just because he was the state chairman, he could decide for all the leaders, elders and stakeholders.”

    Senator Kashamu said the attempt by Chief Dayo to share the PDP exco among some people would fall through.

    He said, “Any purported agreement that Chief Dayo signed with anyone would not stand. Doing so after he was suspended for anti-party activities renders the whole move a nullity. It can never work. When we get to that bridge, we would cross it.”