Court bars PDP from holding S’West congress

Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court in Lagos has restrained the Peoples Democratic Party from going ahead with its zonal congress in the South-West zone scheduled for May 14, 2016 (tomorrow).
The PDP zonal congress was scheduled to hold on Saturday in Akure, the Ondo State capital and Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State.
But in positive answer to an ex parte application brought before him on Thursday by the incumbent PDP South-West Zonal Secretary, Chief ‘Pegba Otemolu, Justice Buba restrained the party from going ahead with the scheduled congress.
The judge said the order would subsist until the final determination of Otemolu’s main suit.
The applicant had claimed that the proposed zonal congress was unlawful because the four-year tenure of the current South-West Zonal Executive, which, he claimed, began on October 11, 2014 would not end until October 11, 2018.

Otemolu is urging the court to declare that it was wrong for the party and its national officers to contemplate organising a zonal congress for the South-West when the tenure of the Zonal Executive Committee members had not lapsed.
Joined as respondents in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission; the PDP; its National Chairman and Secretary, Ali Modu Sheriff; and Prof. Wale Oladipo, respectively.
In his ruling on Thursday, Justice Buba held, “An order of interlocutory injunction is granted to the plaintiff/applicant restraining the second, third and fourth defendants from conducting or permitting or recognising any election into the offices of the South-West Zonal Executive Committee pending the hearing and determination of the Originating Summons.”
He adjourned further proceedings till May 24, 2016.

But the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said that the South-West zonal congress of the PDP slated for Saturday in Akure, Ondo State will hold as scheduled.
The governor, according to a statement on Thursday, addressed journalists at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja .
He said materials for the congress had already been distributed through the appropriate authority.
He said the party was not aware of any court order stopping the congress, adding that machinery was in motion for a hitch-free congress.
Fayose said, “I can confirm that materials for the congress have been handed to the congress committee and the committee is set for the congress. Anyone talking about court order is only deceiving himself and it is now time for the party to operate devoid of any abracadabra court orders.
“I, therefore, urge all delegates and leaders of our party to converge on Akure on Saturday for the congress as scheduled.”

While calling on the elders of the party to take the backstage and play advisory role said those who have occupied exalted positions in the party should be ready to bow out graciously for the emergence of younger ones.
Fayose added that the era of people forcing themselves on the party, using court orders was gone and anyone interested in party positions must be ready to face elections.
“Inasmuch as we respect and appreciate all our elders, they must act in a way that the overall interests of our party and its members will not be jeopardised,” the statement quoted Fayose as saying.