Jegede: Lawyers contributed to crisis rocking PDP – Ogundipe

The Southwest Zonal Chairman/National Vice Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, has accused lawyers of contributing to the crisis rocking the party, adding that the party was also being torn apart by rebellious elements within the fold.

Ogundipe said this on Wednesday in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos, while reacting to the Appeal Court’s judgment which pronounced Mr. Eyitayo Jegede as the PDP governorship candidate for the just concluded election in Ondo State.

According the PDP chieftain, the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which restored Mr. Eyitayo Jegede as the party’s candidate in the Ondo State governorship race was a result of a misrepresentation of facts.

“These lawyers intentionally did not present all the facts of the case that was tried at the Federal High Court to the Hon. Justice Ibrahim Saulawa-led panel of the Court of Appeal. They hijacked and rushed proceedings at hearing, making it impossible for Prince Biyi Poroye’s lawyers to present their arguments.

“The judges who obviously worked with the arguments that were presented before them were so deftly manipulated that they did not have the opportunity to enter into the details of the matter before them as well as details of the case that was tried at the lower court.

“Thus to get redress, Prince Poroye and his team filed a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court stating their dissatisfaction with the decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, in the judgment of the court delivered on the 24th day of November 2016. The reliefs sought from the Supreme Court include the setting aside of the judgment of the Lower Court delivered on the 24th of November 2016 and affirming the judgment of the Federal High Court delivered on the 29th of June 2016 because of three fundamental errors in law,” he said.