The national leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, summoned erstwhile national secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, to appear before the Alhaji Umaru Dikko-led Disciplinary Committee next Wednesday.
Oyinlola was, penultimate Wednesday, re-instated as National Secretary of the party through a judgment by an Appeal Court sitting in Abuja.
Also to appear before the committee are chairman of the splinter group of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje; the group’s Deputy Chairman, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja; and National Vice-Chairman of the party, North-West, Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure.
It will be recalled that Oyinlola was suspended last week alongside Alhaji Baraje, Dr. Jaja and Ambassador Kazaure by the Bamanga Tukur-led National Working Committee, NWC.
Baraje, Oyinlola, Jaja and Kazaure
According to a statement by the Disciplinary Committee secretary who is also the party’s deputy National Secretary, Onwe Solomon Onwe, the affected persons will appear on Wednesday, November 27, at the PDP Presidential Cam-paign Office, Legacy House, Maitama, Abuja by 12 noon.
The Disciplinary Committee in the statement said: “The National Disciplinary Committee of our great party has received from the National Working Committee cases of anti-party activities against the following: Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje; Dr. Sam Sam Jaja; Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure.
‘Crimes’
“The alleged grounds are: On August 31, 2013 at the Special National Convention of the party at the Eagle Square, Abuja, the above mentioned persons and others staged a walk-out in a manner contrary to Section 58 (1) (b) (g) and (h) of the Constitution;
“On September 2, 2013, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja and Prince Olagun-soye Oyinlola filed suit No. ID/704/2013 against the legitimate party leadership at the High Court of Lagos State without first pursuing the internal remedies of the party contrary to Section 58(1) (L) of the Constitution;
“Since August 31, 2013, the persons mentioned above have granted interviews and made statements in the print and electronic media not only disparaging the National Chairman and other national leaders of the party, but also unduly publicising disputes/differences within the party, even in the face of the great restraint demonstrated by the National Chairman and other national leaders against whom their calumny is targeted; this, clearly, contravenes Section 58(1) (i) of the Constitution;
“On September 1 and 23, 2013, Prince Olagunsoye Oyin-lola wrote two letters to INEC requesting the Commission to recognise the persons above mentioned as the National Working Committee of the party, even in the face of the National Convention held March 24, 2012 and August 31, 2013.
“This, also clearly, contra-venes Section 58(1)(b) (h)(i) and (j) of the Constitution of the Party;
“Since August 31, 2013, the above mentioned persons have consistently maintained that they are of the “New PDP (nPDP), thereby promoting factionali-sation of the party, and in doing so, recruiting to their ranks members of the party in the National Assembly contrary to Section 58(1)(b)(i) and (j) of the Constitution.
Summons
“In keeping with Section 57(4) of the Peoples Democratic Party Constitution, the National Disciplinary Committee has since informed the affected persons of the allegations.
“They are invited to present their own side of the issues before the National Discipli-nary Committee. The affected persons may wish to present their cases orally or in writing either in person or through a counsel of their choice. They may also wish to call witnesses.”
The party’s Disciplinary Committee, headed by Second Republic Minister of Transport, Dr. Umaru Dikko, has former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope as Deputy, with former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun; Hajia Nana Aisha Kadiri; Publisher of Champion Newspapers, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; Mr. Hussaini Duraki Kazaer as members.
PDP Deputy National Secretary, Onwe Solomon Onwe, will serve as secretary.
Oyinlola reacts
Meanwhile, Prince Olagun-soye Oyinlola said, yesterday, that he will not appear before the Dikko-led committee.
He argued that he was not aware of the composition of any Disciplinary Committee by the party against the backdrop that constitutionally, a committee of such must be ratified by the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party, just as he vowed that his persecutors will fail.
Oyinlola said: “I wish to re-assert that I will never compromise illegalities and destructive tendencies that border on the culture of impu-nity, tyranny and oppression, which could be interpreted as the hallmark of dictatorship.”
In a statement by his aide, Femi Adelegan yesterday, Oyinlola said: “Prince Oyinlola is conscious of the provisions of the PDP constitution which states without any equivocation that ‘nominations to mem-bership of the Disciplinary Committee at the national level shall be ratified by the National Executive Council of PDP’.
“In effect, Oyinlola, as a law abiding member of PDP is not aware of the composition of any disciplinary panel that is not ratified or known to the National Executive Committee of PDP.
“This reaction, itself is being made out of courtesy to the media and it is right to be informed as Oyinlola has not received any correspondence from any quarters and would not honour any invitation from any illegal body since that would amount to violating the constitution of the party.
“As individuals and elders, the PDP National Secretary has great respect for members of the NWC committee.
“It is important to stress that the first meeting of NEC of PDP, which is statutorily expected to be a quarterly affair, deliberated on the composition of NEC, but never agreed on its membership at the meeting.”
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