A Federal High Court in Abuja has halted moves by a former Oyo State Governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, and his loyalists to take control of the Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.

Justice Evoh Chukwu, in his judgment, restrained the PDP from dissolving the state Executive Committee of the party as Alao-Akala was said to have asked the national leadership of the party to do in a petition.

The court held that the Yinka Taiwo-led executive committee having been elected for a four-year term on March 17, 2012, it should not be dissolved until the expiration of the members’ term.

A copy of the court judgment, which had earlier been delivered, was obtained on Friday.

The suit was instituted by Vice Chairman of the state executive committee of the party, Chief Solomon Ogunjimi.

In granting the 12 prayers of the plaintiff, the court ordered that Ogunjimi should continue to be recognised as the Vice Chairman of the party in the state until the expiration of his tenure.

The judge equally restrained the defendants from recognising any group other than the state executive committee elected at the party’s state congress held on the 17th of March, 2012 in Ibadan, the state capital before the expiration of the four year term of the said state executive committee.

Justice Chukwu also restrained the defendants from conducting any primaries, congress or convention, in Oyo State in respect of the State House of Assembly, National Assembly and governorship elections in any venue except that designated by the state executive committee of the PDP in the state elected which was duly elected on March 17, 2012.

Some of the orders also read, “The 1st defendant (PDP) or any of its organs cannot dissolve the state executive committee of the PDP of Oyo State, which was duly elected at the party’s state congress held on March 17,2014 in Ibadan, Oyo State.

“The 1st defendant cannot by arbitrary fiat or through any method unknown to the constitution of the PDP, adopts any person as the state Executive Committee of the PDP of Oyo State, outside those persons duly on March 17, 2014 in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The plaintiff sued the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission as the defendants following a petition said to have been written by Alao-Akala.

Alao-Akala was said to have accused the executive committee of incompetence and demanded its dissolution by the party’s national body.
He alleged that the former governor, who is working to return to office, had been critical of the Yinka Taiwo-led Oyo PDP executive committee, and was working to ensure its dissolution with a view to assuming control of the party.