The Independent National Electoral Commission has given recognition to a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State led by the South West leader of the party, Mr. Buruji Kashamu, a decision that has worsened the crisis over parallel primaries.
This action has therefore thrown the faction being being financed by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo in a quandary.
The INEC Secretary, Mrs. Augusta Ogakwu, in a letter to the national chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Muazu and obtained by journalists on Friday in Abuja, said the action was based on two previous orders in a Federal High Court in Lagos.
They are suit Nos. FHC/L/CS/1266/2012-Chief (Engr.) Adebayo Dayo & ANORS Vs. INEC & ORS; and FHC/L/CS/347/2012-Chief (Engr.) Adebayo Dayo & ANORS Vs. PDP & ANORS in Re-Application for committal of PDP and 4 ORS.
The court had earlier restrained the PDP from dissolving the Adebayo Dayo-led executive in Ogun State.
The INEC letter reads: “The Federal High Court in Lagos made orders in respect of the above suit. The court restrained the commission from accepting nomination of candidates of the PDP from Ogun State for the 2015 general elections, except that they emerge from primaries conducted by the plaintiffs.
“The court further restrained the commission from according any recognition whatsoever or accepting as valid, processing and or publishing any other list of PDP candidates, except such list of candidates elected at primary of PDP conducted in Ogun State by the applicants-Chief (Engr.) Adebayo Dayo-led Ogun State Executive Committee of the party. You may wish to be guided accordingly.”
Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Lagos had restrained the National Working Committee from according any recognition or accepting as valid any primary for next year’s election except those conducted with the ad hoc ward delegates list.
He also restrained INEC from accepting as valid any such primaries or publishing any list other than the ad hoc ward delegate list prepared by the Adebayo Dayo-led executive.
The judge granted an ex-parte application by the plaintiffs’ counsel, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede, allowing them to serve the alleged contemnors with the motion on notice for committal outside Lagos, such as in Abuja and Ogun State.
Justice Abang had directed PDP and INEC to ensure that the primaries in Ogun State for the election of candidates for the 2015 election were conducted only with the ad hoc ward delegate list.
The plaintiffs were alleging that the respondents had been attempting to remove them from office, despite two Federal High Court judgments affirming the legality of their positions.
The judge had warned that he would not tolerate any disobedience of his orders by anybody.
He said he would compel former House of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole and former Ogun State governor Gbenga Daniel to appear before him if they failed to appear before him on December 15.
Other alleged contemnors in the proceedings are the PDP, Dave Salako and INEC.
