Allegation of ‘backdoor court order’ rocks Ogun PDP

A new twist has emerged to the leadership tussle in the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between the two factions of the party loyal to Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

Senator Buruji Kashamu’s faction, led by Chief Bayo Dayo, is for Sheriff, while the other faction, led by Sikirulai Ogundele, belongs to the Markafi faction.

An allegation of a “backdoor court order”, got by the Kashamu’s faction against its rival group in respect of suit FHC/L/CS/636/2016, is currently rocking the party.

In a motion on notice for committal for contempt in application dated September 9, 2016, and filed by Kashamu’s group before Justice I.N Buba of a Federal High Court in Lagos, an interim order against Ogundele and other alleged contemnors, is alleged to have been made.

Ogundele, the first alleged contemnor, said he was not served personally as required by law, but only saw a motion ex parte to serve him by substituted means and consequently informed his lawyer to enter an appearance for him.

He explained that his counsel, Ogochukwu Emeti, informed him that the applicant’s lawyer, Mrs Ifeoma Esom, told the court on January 19, 2017, that she was withdrawing the application dated September 9, 2016, for a fresh one dated January 16, 2017, and expressed readiness to move same, having served the defendants’ counsel.

The PDP chairman said the application for contempt motion was never moved and efforts by the applicant’s lawyer to made the Judge see reason why it should be heard did not yield any result. Proceedings for the day were consequently brought to a close and the matter adjourned to February 28,  for the application to be moved and heard.

“Surprisingly, I received a call from Dr Yemi Oke, that an interim order was granted by Justice Buba on January 19, 2017, when the matter came up.

“I was confused when I read the said interim order and saw that the order granted reliefs 2-6 based on the argument of the motion by the plaintiff’s counsel,” Ogundele said.

Arrest of Ogundele and others and closing down the party’s secretariat by police were among the reliefs purportedly granted by Justice Buba in the interim order, a copy of which was made available to Sunday Tribune.

Sunday Tribune gathered that the Ogun State Police Command had been served with a copy of the purported order to give effect to the prayers granted by the court.

“This development is worrisome and shocking because my lawyer was in court till the end of the matter and the said motion on notice was never moved in the open court. She was not asked for her reaction to any interim order and the order was not read in the open court,” Ogundele said.

Sunday Tribune learnt that Ogundele and other alleged contemnors, as well as their lawyers, have consequently petitioned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and the Chief Justice of Nigeria and chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), Justice Walter Onnoghen, to investigate the matter, remedy the error and sanction Justice Buba.