The attention of the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to the sensational and misleading Newspaper Headlines on the assumption of Office of the Deputy National Secretary of the Party as the Acting National Secretary, following the decision of the Federal High Court, Abuja to annul the election of Prince Olagunsoye Onyilola as the National Secretary of the Party.
The reports create the impression that the change was occasioned by the personal desire of the National Chairman of the Party to remove Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola from the position of the National Secretary of the Party. The National Working Committee wants to make it very clear that what happened was nothing more than obedience of a Court judgement, and the consequential application of the relevant sections of the Party’s Constitution under the circumstance.
Section 45 of the Party Constitution states:
“45 (1) If a National Officer of the Party is removed or resigns from office, he shall immediately hand over to the National Secretary all records, files and other properties of the Party in his or her possession.
(2) In the case of the National Chairman, he shall hand over to the Deputy National Chairman who shall, without prejudice to Section 45(6) of this Constitution, act as the National Chairman pending the election of a replacement.
(3) In the case of National Secretary, he shall hand over to the Deputy National Secretary”
Section 35 (1) also states:
“There shall be a National chairman who shall be the Chief Executive of the Party, and his functions shall be to:
(a) summon and preside over the meetings of the National Convention, the National Executive Committee, the National Caucus and the National Working Committee of the Party;
…(h) ensure strict compliance with the provisions of this Constitution and do all such other things as shall promote the growth and welfare of the Party.”
Given the judgement of the Federal High Court, a situation was created for invocation of Section 45 and the National Working Committee accordingly did what the Constitution expects it to do under such circumstance. The matter has absolutely nothing to do with any imagined rift between the National Chairman and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
For the avoidance of doubt, we want to say unequivocally that there is no personal rift between Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, as the National Chairman of the Party, and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola to warrant the sensational headlines that have been published in Newspapers on the issue.
In any event, reports have indicated that Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola has appealed against the Court judgement and the NWC wants to say that as soon as the appeal is decided, the Party will, in the same way as it did in the case of the Federal High Court ruling, obey the appeal decision.
We want to make it very clear that our great Party is a law abiding Party, which bases its conduct and activities on internal democracy and rule of law. In the event, whatever a court of competent jurisdiction decides on any matter involving the Party, the PDP will have no hesitation in obeying and implementing the judgement.
National Working Committee
