Court restrains PDP from taking disciplinary action against Kashamu, Oladipo, others

A Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital has restrained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from taking any disciplinary action against some chieftains of the party in the South West.

The chieftains include the Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Buruji Kashamu; the immediate past National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo; the immediate past National Auditor, Alhaji Adewale Adeyanju; and former, PDP Chairman in Ondo State, Mr. Ebenezer Alabi.

Others are the Vice-Chairman of the PDP in the South West, Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe; the Zonal Secretary, Chief Pegba Otemolu; a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Segun Seriki and the Legal Adviser of the PDP in Ekiti State, Mr. Niran Owoseni.

The interlocutory injunction which was granted yesterday in Suit No. FHC/AD/CS/14/2017 by the Honourable Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo specifically restrained the PDP, the Chairman of its National Caretaker Committee (NCC), Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Secretary, Senator Ben Obi from “taking any disciplinary action against the plaintiffs and other leaders of the PDP in the South West zone”.

The court ruled among others that: “An order of interim injunction restraining the 2nd to 4th Defendant by themselves, their agents, servants and privies from taking any disciplinary action against the plaintiffs and other leaders of the 2nd Defendant in the South West zone, including Prof. Wale Oladipo, the former national secretary of the PDP, Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, Chairman of the South West Zonal Executive Committee of the PDP; Chief Pegba Otemolu, Secretary of the South West Zonal Executive Committee; Senator Buruji Kashamu, a statutory member of the South West Zonal Executive and Prince Segun Seriki by way of expulsion, suspension, reprimand or any other action whatsoever or denying the plaintiffs and the aforementioned South West leaders the right to seek nomination as candidate of the 2nd Defendant for any election or refusing to submit their names to the first defendant as candidates of the party for the purpose of any election contrary to the terms and purposes of the aforesaid subsisting orders of this court made in Suit No.FHC/ABJ/CS/732/2017 pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

“An order of interim injunction restraining the 2nd to 4th Defendant by themselves, their agents, servants and privies from taking any disciplinary action against the plaintiffs and other leaders of the 2nd Defendant in the South West zone, including Prof. Wale Oladipo, the former national secretary of the PDP, Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, Chairman of the South West Zonal Executive Committee of the PDP; Chief Pegba Otemolu, Secretary of the South West Zonal Executive Committee; Senator Buruji Kashamu, a statutory member of the South West Zonal Executive and Prince Segun Seriki by way of expulsion, suspension, reprimand or any other action whatsoever or denying the plaintiffs and the aforementioned South West leaders the right to seek nomination of the party for any election or refusing to submit their names to the 1st Defendant as candidates of the party for the purpose of any election contrary to the terms and purposes of the aforesaid subsisting orders and judgment of this court made in Suit No.FHC/ABJ/CS/732/2017 pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

“That the 2nd, 3rd & 4th defendants are hereby ordered to suspend any action taken by them jointly and/or severally to discipline the plaintiffs and the persons mentioned in the body of the reliefs being sought, for the avoidance of doubt the persons are Prof. Wale Oladipo, Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, Chief Pegba Otemolu, Senator Buruji Kashamu and Prince Segun Seriki.

“That the actions of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants purporting to discipline or recommend the plaintiffs or the persons named in the preceding order 4 above are hereby suspended pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”

No need