The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State on Monday, took another dimension as a governorship aspirant of the party, Jimi Lawal, was suspended for allegedly conducting and participating in an “illegal” governorship primary election.
The party which had been divided into three factions was asked to conduct a fresh primary within 14 days by court which had lapsed .
The party suspended Lawal along side four others who are: Bola Odunmosun, the financial secretary of the party, Fasiu Ajadi, Kola Akinyemi and Tope Asiru, the party chairman of Ijebu North-East Local Government Area for anti party activities .
The secretary of the party, Sunday Solarin, announced their suspension in a press briefing at the party’s secretariat in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Solarin said Lawal and the others were suspended for violating the constitution of the party by conducting and participating in an “illegal” governorship primary election, which he said was not authorised by the National Working Committee of the party.
Solarin disclosed that Lawal and the others had been suspended for one month pending the outcome of a disciplinary committee which would be setup to review their action.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta had nullified the primary election of the party which produced Ladi Adebutu, in the state.
The presiding judge, Justice Oguntoyinbo, in her judgement ordered the party to conduct fresh primaries within the next 14 days.
The court also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising Adebutu as the governorship candidate of the party in the state.
The NWC of the party has however vowed to appeal the judgement.
It was gathered that, following the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum, the faction of Lawal staged a factional governorship primary election at an undisclosed location in Abeokuta, the state capital on Monday.
But the leadership of the party in the state, condemned the action of Lawal and members of his faction, insisting that PDP would not condole any action directed at putting the party into disrepute.
Solarin said, “All of these shenanigans will be put to bed and we have resolved that the principal actors of the illegal primary election will be exposed. They have been found to have transgressed the laws of the party and their punishment will be given.
“We were informed that an illegal congress was going to happen today and that history has it as of this afternoon that some people gathered somewhere to carry out an action that is not constitutionally or statutorily assigned to them.
“We have also resolved today that Otunba Jimi Lawal, is also going to be on suspension with immediate effect because he participated actively in a congress not conducted by the state executives of the party, an action which has been found to bring the party into disrepute.
“We must also emphasis the fact that in a house where discipline is missing definitely such house will not raise good children and they are not going to raise good ambassadors for that family.
“Because PDP is a house that believes in the rule of law, it is a house built by our forefathers, managed by all of us we are not going to open our eyes and allow some dissidence to destroy the house and therefore we must tow the path of discipline by showing them the way.
“So they are suspended for the next one month in which case the disciplinary committee will be setup and they will be invited to come and explain the action they took, the reason why their suspension will not be elongated or the reason why it will not be translated to expulsion.”
When contacted for reaction, the spokesperson of Lawal’s faction, Austin Oniyokor, could not be reached as of the time of filing this report .
He had yet to respond to the text message sent to his mobile phone either.
