PDP Crisis: Oyinlola, Baraje, Jaja challenge suspension in court

Some leaders of the Abubakar Baraje-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Tuesday asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to set aside their suspension from the party. They said the suspension was done in bad faith.

Those seeking reinstatement include the factional chairman of the PDP, Abubakar Baraje; National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former National Deputy Chairman, Sam Jaja; and a former ambassador, Ibrahim Kazaura.

The plaintiffs, represented by Awa Kalu, are asking the court to reserve the decision of the party on the ground that it was taken in bad faith and that it breached the principle of fair hearing as stipulated by the country’s constitution.

Alongside the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission was also included as a defendant in the suit.

This court case is a continuation of series of court cases between the party’s executives and the Baraje-led faction. In October, an Abuja court stopped the Baraje faction from parading itself as the authentic PDP.

After a Federal High court nullified the election of Mr. Oyinlola as the party’s National Secretary in January, he was reinstated by the Court of Appeal in November but was subsequently suspended from the party alongside the other plaintiffs five days later for allegedly breaching the party’s constitution.

The Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had on November 6 reinstated Mr. Oyinlola as National Secretary of the ruling party.

While setting aside the January 11 judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which removed Mr. Oyinlola from office, the Court of Appeal, in the judgement read by Justice J.T. Toh, held that the lower court acted in error by granting the declarative reliefs sought by the plaintiffs since the former national secretary was not a party to the suit that nullified the South West congress that produced him.

It also said that Mr. Oyinlola’s right to fair hearing was infringed upon and therefore invoked Section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act in giving the judgement.

Announcing the suspension order however, PDP spokesperson, Olisa Metuh, said the officials are acting against the constitution of the party.

He stated that the constitution of the PDP makes it clear that anyone caught doing  anything capable of bringing the party into disrepute is guilty of an offence.

Mr. Metuh, who spoke after a meeting of the NWC, said the NWC found the four officials wanting when they recently walked out of the venue of the PDP convention while it was in progress.

They were also accused of floating a parallel executive of the party and have allegedly continued to engage in manners capable of bringing disrepute to the party despite several appeals for them to stop their actions.