Ogun PDP Crisis Deepens as Secondus Rejects Chairman

The leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ogun State chapter, has deepened following the refusal of its national leadership to recognize Mr. Adebayo Dayo as the state chairman of the party.

The Independent National Electoral Commission recently recognized Dayo as the state chairman of the party.

Dayo and members of his group were not allowed to participate in the national convention of the party in Abuja on December 9, 2017.

Before now, the commission and the national leadership of the PDP had recognized Mr. Sikirulai Ogundele as the state chairman of the party, a development that resulted in several litigation, culminating in a recent judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos.

But the commission in a letter dated April 12, 2018 and signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Mrs. Augusta Ogakwu, said it would recognise Dayo as the Ogun State PDP chairman.

Ogakwu said the commission took the decision “in compliance with the judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos in Suit No.FHC/L/CS/1556/2017 delivered on 9th February, 2018 and has notified the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party of its compliance with the said judgment.”

However, the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus and the party’s National Secretary, Senator Umaru Tsauri, in their letter to the commission, said the leadership crisis had been resolved.

In the letter, dated April 20, they claimed that the Supreme Court had settled the matter in its landmark judgment in the PDP Vs. Sheriff case on July 2, 2017.

They quoted the apex court as saying that “it is unfortunate that this internal party crisis within the appellant (the PDP), has staggered a lot of its anticipated progress. In any case, it is my hope this imbroglio within the appellant will serve as a big lesson to all and sundry.”

Secondus and Tsauri therefore asked the commission to withdraw its recognition of the Dayo-led executive.

The letter added, “It will therefore amount to an inexplicable volte-face and unfortunate somersault if INEC were to withdraw the recognition of the approved officials of our party in Ogun State, especially the State Executive Committee led by Sikirulai Ogundele.

“This will certainly throw the party back into avoidable conflict. We believe, this cannot be your intention or wish for our party.”

Dayo, has however, sent another letter to Secondus, in which he wondered whether the party chairman was sitting as an appellate court to the decided case.

His letter to Secondus, dated April 24, was titled, “The imperative to the rule of law on Ogun State Executive Committee.”