South-West zone of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reacted to the court’s judgment reinstating Dr Dominic Adegbola as the chairman of the party in Lagos State, declaring that it was time to allow peace and unity to reign in the party.
The zonal leadership of the party said this, on Wednesday, in a congratulatory statement titled: “The entire South-West leaders-victory at last, and issued by its General Secretary, Rahaman Owokoniran.
“We celebrate the glory of the Lord in our life as the truth, finally reigns supreme in judgment.
“We pray that the rest of the cases left in the South-West in particular and the nation, in general, shall vindicate us.
“Now that the court has spoken, let’s allow peace to reign so we can build the party in unity,” the party said.
PDP, while congratulating Adegbola and other leaders of the party for the victory, said it was in line with the ongoing successful Saraki’s reconciliation committee’s efforts and further promotes such.
The Lagos High Court, on Tuesday, June 22, presided over by Justice Oyekan Abdullahi, in his judgment, removed Engnr Deji Doherty as the chairman of Lagos PDP and reinstated former chairman, Dr Adegbola.
The court said it considered the preliminary objection filed by the first to sixth defendants and dismissed them for lack of merit.
Justice Abdullahi ruled that the positions sought to be filled at the special election were not vacant, even as he held that the argument that the 1st claimant, Dr Dominic, held the office of the state Chairman of PDP for 90 days had no place in the Constitution of PDP.
The court held that the 1st claimant was duly appointed to serve out the term of his predecessor who resigned, and further held that the claimant’s failure to utilise internal dispute mechanism was not accidental as the defendants frustrated same.
The court concluded its judgment by stating that the defendants’ act of conducting the special congress despite a subsisting order of the court prohibiting same was contemptuous, warning that it would not hesitate to wield its big stick against the defendants if they again failed to obey the latest judgment.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Elders Committee of Lagos State chapter of PDP, Dr Bimbo Ogunkelu, who is also former Minister of Cooperation and Integration in Africa, has said that the party will appeal the high court’s judgment which sacked Engnr Adedeji Doherty as the state chairman of the party.
This was just as Doherty told our correspondent he was presiding over the exco meeting of the party, through a text message, when his reaction was sought.
Ogunkelu said this in his reaction while speaking with newsmen, assuring that the party would get a stay of execution of the lower court’s judgment at the Appeal Court.
The party chieftain, while kicking against the judgment, queried how a court would set aside a properly conducted congress because some people were not happy with the exercise, describing the judgment as a miscarriage of justice.
“We don’t accept that judgment, how can a properly carried out congress be set aside by a court because some people are not happy? he queried.
“It is a miscarriage of justice and we will go to the Appeal Court. We don’t understand how the judge came to that conclusion, that is why we will appeal,” he said.
Ogunkelu, while further kicking against the judgment, however, said the party’s elders committee was solidly behind Doherty.
“I am the chairman of the elders’ committee and we don’t understand why the two groups were lumped together, however, what happened at the court does not stop the party from uniting and working together,” he said.
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Lagos chairmanship: South-West PDP celebrates Adegbola’s court victory, sues for peace
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