THE CONSTITUTION OF THE PARTY, JUDICIAL PRONOUNCEMENTS AND WILL OF THE MAJORITY MUST BE RESPECTED BY ALL PATRIOTIC PARTY FAITHFUL IN OGUN STATE AND THE SOUTHWEST

The Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun state under the sterling leadership of Engr. Adebayo Dayo hereby state that the spirit and letters of the party's constitution and will of the majority must be respected by everyone that claim to be a member thereof. Importantly too, where disagreements are subjected to judicial adjudication, pronouncements emanating therefrom must be obeyed, no matter how highly placed anyone is within the party.

We are constrained to make these clarifications against the backdrop of recent events bothering on the conduct of congresses in Ogun state and the southwest. Barefaced disregard for extant rules and wanton acts of impunity have been the other of the day and perpetrated by people who by their vantage position ought to know better and act in manners justifying their high offices; but rather than do that, they have acted reprehensibly and it is incumbent on us to address the issues:

OGUN STATE

The party, despite the challenges in the buildup to the 2015 elections was able to rally itself and bettered its performance of 2011 by producing a Senator, two members of the House of Representatives and nine Members of the Ogun State House of Assembly. Commendation must go to the Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led executives for their good work and all our leaders especially Sen. Buruji Kashamu and our gubernatorial candidate, Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka among others, for using their resources and goodwill to improve the fortunes of the party.

As the congresses to elect new executives into the Ward, Local Government and State organs of the party drew near, certain individuals and groups that did not want to subject themselves to clear guidelines, ostensibly for personal ambitions and vaunting ego, decided to gather and be law unto themselves by creating dissenting voices to make it look as though there is crisis in Ogun PDP, whereas there was none.

Their intention was to have parallel congresses in order to polarize and embarrass the party on one hand and also to create valid ground to defect to another party and are already negotiating terms for their defection in coming months. What they forgot was that, the party guidelines coupled with subsisting court judgements have vested the powers to conduct these congresses in the hands of the state executive that will work with the congresses committee sent from the national secretariat in Abuja.

This exactly happened and we have new validly-elected executives across the three levels. We again state for the umpteenth time that any persons or group purporting to be executives of the party are mere impostors whose motive is to further divide the party. It is also pertinent to note that any possible argument as to the legitimacy of our executive has been effectively laid to rest as Engr. Adebayo Dayo attended the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party held yesterday Tuesday May 17th, 2016 and there was no place for any other person in the meeting with same title.

The congresses of Ogun state was ratified among other states and our executive affirmed. We therefore use this medium to again appeal to our brothers Hon. Ladi Adebutu and Rt. Hon Dimeji Bankole  and everybody under their leadership not to see it as a loss but rather as an opportunity to reinvent the party with their active collaboration. We want to state emphatically that the interest and ambition of any individual will be protected under our executive suffice it to also say that the ambition of any individual will not also be allowed to destroy the party.

We shall work with all members who have the genuine interest of the party and none shall be excluded. The Engr. Adebayo Dayo - led executive belongs to everybody and belongs to no one person. Nobody is big and nobody is small in this party. We need everyone and all groups to work together therefore, name-calling, character assassination and hate speeches must stop forthwith in the interest of peace.

THE SOUTHWEST

We in Ogun PDP are disturbed that respected leaders of our party in the southwest are not only at the vanguard of illegality, they are unabashedly promoting same. They are failing to learn from history and those who fail to acknowledge history are bound to repeat it. In the days leading to the conduct of the illegal zonal congress, Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos gave an interlocutory injunction stopping the conduct of any congress to elect new southwest officers for the party.

We recall that the zonal secretary of the party, Chief Pegba Otemolu has approached the court on behalf of himself and the entire executive seeking an exparte order. They want the court to interpret the validity of their tenure as enshrined in the party constitution which states that any executive shall serve for a period of four years and having only been elected on 11th October 2014, their tenure will expire on 11th October 2018. The judge in his wisdom granted the order restraining the PDP and INEC from conducting the congress.

While responsible members of the party in the zone complied with that order, some top leaders and members of the party made mockery of the court by gathering in Akure in the name of a zonal congress. We are appalled that some of these leaders who have themselves benefitted from judicial pronouncements could act in such contemptuous manner. They forgot that it was such recalcitrant action that brought down the Engr. Segun Oni zonal executive in 2013 when legitimate Ogun PDP delegates were prevented from the zonal congress with impostors participating.

Again, history has been repeated as inappropriate delegates from Ogun state joined others to flout a valid court order and the result has come in faster than expected. The Akure congress was a charade that couldn't stand and just two days ago precisely on 17th May 2016, Justice Ibrahim Buba said the defendants were aware of the May 11th 2016 restraining order yet went ahead to hold the congress in defiance of the court’s order. Justice Buba said "parties should not resort to self-help when a matter is before the court"  and thereby nullified the congress. He then adjourned further proceedings till June 8, 2016 for the hearing of all pending applications.

With this landmark ruling, the current zonal executive led by Ogundipe and Otemolu shall continue to act till 2018 or when the court says otherwise. We do not wish that our party continues to be run on judicial orders but when people decide to deride the law and arrogate powers which they don't have unto themselves, the courts becomes the final arbiter. Ogun PDP stands by this ruling and remain in firm support of the current zonal officers.

NATIONAL CONVENTION

As the national convention holds in Porthacourt on Saturday 21st May 2016, our Chairman Engr Adebayo Dayo shall lead all statutory delegates from Ogun state to the convention and anyone not so designated is advised to steer clear of the convention ground. All delegates from Ogun state will be contacted on the modalities to successfully participate in the convention. Ogun PDP is using this medium to reiterate our support for Alhaji Ali Modu-Sheriff as the Chairman of our great party. We stand by him and believe he has what it takes to move the party forward. We wish everyone safe journey.

(Signed):
Adeniji Bolaji
State Publicity Secretary, Ogun PDP