We’re yet to get notice – Pub Sec
By Kayode Adeoti
Justice E.B Muhammed of the Kwara State High Court, sitting in Ilorin on Tuesday restrained Iyiola Oyedepo from parading himself as the State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Court also restrained Abdulateef Alakawa Gidado, Alhaja Fatimoh Gegele Mogaji, Rasak Alabi, Mahmad Haliru Dantosho and Gabriel Olatunji from acting as members of the state executive committee.
The claimants; Prince Sunday Adeniran Fagbemi, Chief Moses Ibiyemi, Adebayo Oloyin, John Ashonibare and Hakeem Ajape Issa had approached the court with a motion exparte dated 16th July, 2018 against Oyedepo and six others.
In a suit No: KWS/221/2018, the judge stated that “upon careful examination of 15 paragraphs affidavit of urgency and 33 paragraphs affidavit in support of the motion exparte for interim injunction respectively deposed to by Lateef Adebayo Oloyin.
The judge further stated that after listening to claimant/applicants counsel and the written address in support of the affidavit, “an order of interim injunction is hereby granted the claimants/applicants restraining Oyedepo from recognising, dealing or relating with other defendants or any other person(s) or either themselves…as executive Committee members of the Kwara State chapter of the PDP pending the determination of the motion on notices for interlocutory injunction already filed in this suit…”
The claimant/applicants are further granted an order of interim injunction restraining the 2nd -7th defendants or any other person either by themselves, servants, agents, staff and/ or privies from parading, acting and/ or working as the state executive committee of the People Democratic Party, PDP Kwara state chapter pending the determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction already filed in this suit.
Justice Muhammed however adjourned the matter to 30th July, 2018 for hearing of the motion on notice.
Reacting to the development, the Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Rex Olawoye said the party has not been served any notice to that effect, adding that if such existed, it must have been issued by the court in error.
“We heard it as a rumour that an ex parte order of injunction has just been issued against the State Executive of the Kwara Chapter of PDP by an Ilorin High Court. The injunction may be to stop the Chairman and perhaps other members of the Executive from parading themselves as the authentic executive of the PDP.
He faulted Fagbemi for approaching State High Court over case that has been decided by the Federal High Court sitting in the state.
“Instead of the Plaintiff, Prince Fagbemi and company to go on appeal, they decided to take the same case to a State High Court. The court has never served us court process so that the matter can be heard on merit; as there is no urgency to warrant an exparte application in a matter that had been concluded more than eight months ago.
“We just want our party members and our teeming supporters to be calm as legal process will be set in motion to vacate the order of injunction forthwith”, he noted.
…embrace Intending defectors, stalwarts tell party leaders
Some concerned members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state have asked leaders of the party to allow all intending defectors into the party in order to fortify the party’s electoral chances in the forthcoming general elections.
In a statement issued yesterday in Ilorin, the state capital, the PDP members, under the aegis of Concerned Members of PDP, Kwara State Chapter, argued that “Nigerians believe that our parry is the popular platform for serious minded politicians and thus we cannot afford to be unduly selective in our membership drive”.
The call came as the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus said the party is open to all possible defectors from the R-APC, and other opposition members who are not satisfied with the current affairs of the country.
Secondus made the statement in Ilorin, during a condolence visit to the former PDP national leader, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, over the loss of his mother.
The concerned PDP members statement was signed by Alhaji Abdullahi Lateef (Balogun Fulani Ward 11), Alhaji Danjuma Hamid (Oko-Erin), Moshood Issa (Alanamu), Prince Olabode, M. A. (Ibagun), and Ayinde Wasiu (Aare1).
The statement reads in part : “If we are desirous of winning come 2019, we must maintain an open door policy to all new members nationally unless we have made up our minds to only participate in the coming elections with the usual dismal outcome of failures.
“All sincere and faithful members of the PDP in the state are aiming to win in the forthcoming general elections both at the state and federal levels we want whoever emerges as our party gubernatorial candidate to occupy the Kwara state Government House come 2019. To be able to achieve this, we are ca;;ing on all party leaders and members off all rival political parties to decamp en mass into the PDP today in order to be part of the moving train.
“This clarion call coming at this point in time is most appropriately directed also to big time political leaders like the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Bashir Bolarinwa. They should jettison the docile APC for the PDP.”
The group allayed the fears being expressed by some members of the party in the state over the possibIity of losing their offices due to the influx of new members, saying to have such fears is to be pessimistic about the positive sides of the defections into the party.
“We are earnestly saying No, to recurrent electoral failures as we have grown weary and tired of losing at every election in Kwara state since 2015”, the statement said, adding that the party should be ready to accept the likes of Saraki and others whom they described as acclaimed game changers.
