Battle for the Soul of Ogun State PDP Resumes in Abuja Today

...Court adjourns till March 18 to determine issue of legal representation

The legal battle for the soul of the Ogun State chapter of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) resumed on Thursday at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

When the matter (Suit No. FHC/AB/CS/44/2020) came up today, it was dogged by the issue of legal representation.

The first and second plaintiffs are Messrs Samson Bamgbose and Adeleke Shittu who sued for themselves and on behalf of the Ogun State PDP Executive Committee (Exco).

The first, second and third defendants are the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Inspector-General of Police.

However, Bamgbose and six others were cajoled by a certain Segun Seriki who is a close ally of the Adebutus to sell out, compromise the case and hand over the party structure to Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu in pursuit of his (Adebutu's) forlorn governorship ambition in 2023.

As part of their evil plot, the erstwhile State Woman Leader of the PDP in Ogun State, Bimbo Lanre-Balogun, who is on record in audio-visual and affidavits to have said congresses were held in Ogun State between March and April, 2020, suddenly made a volte-face and fraudulently deposed to another affidavit that congresses never held in Ogun State.

How a so-called lawyer will depose to two contradictory affidavits on the same issue is a subject of concern to her professional colleagues and a matter for another forum.

Unknown to Seriki and his cohorts, their selfish plan to trade away the structure for pecuniary interest blew up in their faces as the other vigilant members of the State Executive Committee called a meeting on the 9th of November, 2020, where they suspended Bamgbose and five others for anti-party activities and other sundry offences.

It was after their suspension that Bamgbose wrote a letter dated 8th January, 2021, purportedly debriefing Prince Ajibola Oluyede's TRLP Law firm as counsel to the State Exco.

The aim is to appoint another law firm who will cooperate with Adebutu's lawyers who are pretending to be representing PDP and INEC.

The game plan is for the new lawyers purportedly appointed by Bamgbose and his gang to either concede or offer a feeble resistance to the prayers of the defendants in the case - the national leadership of PDP and INEC.

It is even more so when some of the supposed beneficiaries and erstwhile officers of the State Executive Committee like Bimbo Lanre-Balogun had been compromised to swear to affidavits that congresses never held in spite of obvious facts and evidence to the contrary.

In a nutshell, like Esau, they are ready to sell their birth right for a meal ticket!

Contrary to their denials, two of Adebutu's close associates, Seriki and Hon. Sikirulai Ogundele, led Bamgbose, Raphael Olaosebikan, Bimbo Lanre-Balogun and others to the court in Abuja today.

As a matter of fact, Lanre-Balogun who had deposed to two separate affidavits that congresses were held and later said congresses never held in this extant suit, appeared in the matter as one of Adebutu's lawyers.

Following the hot argument that ensued among TRLP Law's Mrs Ifeoma Esom, Mr. Segun Odubela of Ricky Tarfa & Co and Chris Uche over the issue of legal representation and on whether or not Bamgbose and his gang can rightly brief and debrief a lawyer after their suspension, which has not been set aside, the trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, adjourned till the 18th of March, 2021, for parties to either file the report of settlement of the issue of legal representation or the court will determine it one way or another.