Kwara PDP drags Markafi to court

THE Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dragged the Senator Ahmed Makarfi led National Caretaker Committee of the party to court challenging the dissolution of the Executive Committee in the state.

A statement issued by the Publicity Secretary of the Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo faction of the party in the state, Chief Rex Olawoye, in Ilorin on Thursday said they had filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja on the alleged dissolution.

Olawoye said the suit; NO: FHC/ABJ/CS/500/2017 was filed by Chief Femi Falana, SAN on behalf of Kwara PDP Executive and the State Chairman; Chief Iyiola Oyedepo as plaintiffs while Senator Ahmed Markafi the National Caretaker Committee Chairman and three others were defendants.

The statement said that the party in Kwara considered the dissolution of the State Executive Committee as not only illegal, but a travesty of justice.

“Therefore, the Kwara State PDP Executive is left with no option than to challenge this obvious illegality in a court of law as earlier indicated.

“When it was noticed that a high-level game was in the offing, Kwara State Executive under Oyedepo served the National Caretaker Committee with a writ of summon dated July 26th 2017 and received by one Innocent Ezekiel, Secretary to the National Legal Adviser.”

According to him, their state executive committee was duly elected on May 10, 2016 at a competitive State Congress organized by the National Executive Committee and supervised by Chief Niyi Oyeleke as chairman.

Olawoye added that the Oyedepo led executive has since its inauguration been functioning as representatives of the party in Kwara and attending all national functions of the party.

“The same executive has attended two consecutive National Convections; one in Port Harcourt on May 21, 2016 and in Abuja on Aug 6, 2016.

“Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo has also attended at least four NEC meetings called by National Caretaker Committee led by Sen. Ahmed Makarfi.

“Oyedepo is a prominent member of All PDP Chairmen Forum and indeed a member of Communiqué Committee after the Court of Appeal Judgment against the embattled Sen Ahmed Makarfi,” Olawoye added.

The PDP spokesman wondered why a group led by Fagbemi Sunday, that rose up after six months of election to lay claim of the chairmanship position should be given recognition.

“The National Caretaker Committee assigned the Zonal Office of the North Central Zone to investigate and present a report to National Committee recommending the authentic group that should lead our Party in Kwara State,” Olawoye said.

He said a reconciliation committee, headed by Sen Solomon Ewuga was subsequently set up to look into the issue in the party.

The Publicity Secretary said the committee’s report was ready and submitted to the National headquarters; adding that Sen Makarfi went ahead to dissolve the executive.

“Sen Ahmed Makarfi despite all these legal steps brazenly murdered the hope of Kwarans by dissolving the legally constituted People Democratic Party Kwara State Executive.

“This was done without recourse to the report from their own appointed reconciliation Committee.

“This was done at the whips and caprices of National Caretaker Committee with high level of impunity,” Olawoye concluded.