By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta
The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday accused the state government and ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are trying to prevent it from participating in the November 16, local government elections.
Speaking at a press conference at the party Secretariat in Abeokuta, the State Party Chairman, Abayomi Tella claimed that there have been deliberate attempts to prevent the PDP, from participating in the elections.
Tella said series attempts, including the disruption of the PDP’s party congress and the presentation of parallel candidate lists to the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC), which he said failed.
The Chairman also highlighted a recent court case challenging the membership of PDP candidates for the local government elections, questioning the motivation behind the suit.
It would be recalled that the party’s factional chairman, Sikirulai Ogundele, and 13 local government chairmen of the party had filed a suit at the Ogun State High Court, challenging the presentation of certain persons whose names, according to them, are not in the register authenticated by the national leadership of the party.
In the suit numbered AB/484/2024, which was filed by Kazeem Gbadamosi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the plaintiffs are asking the court to determine if persons whose names are not on the list of register of members approved by the National Working Committee (NWC) for Ward Congress could present candidates or be presented as candidates of PDP in the forthcoming local government election.
“Why institute a case about the membership of candidates sponsored by the party when OGSIEC is not complaining?” Tella asked.
Tella, alleged that the suit was a deliberate move by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to silent and prevent PDP from participating in the Saturday’s election, accusing the government of instigating the suit to disqualify its candidates from the election.
”It has become very necessary that we react and inform the public on the many deliberate and desperate attempts by the State government and the ruling party to silent and prevent opposition parties particularly our party, PDP to participate in the Saturday, November 16, Local Government elections in Ogun State.
He also expressed concerns about the judge assigned to the case, highlighting his past affiliation with the APC and Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration.
He said, “we want to state emphatically that we believe strongly in the rule of law and have due respect for our judiciary; therefore, we are expecting true justice even though, we not unaware that the judge assigned with the case use to be a card carrying member of the ruling party; APC. A former Caretaker Chairman of Ikenne Local Government and the Director General of Mr Governor’s campaign for the Senate in 2015.
“We only need to enumerate the political profile of the judge not because we are doubting his integrity, but we are using this as an advice that if he cannot recuse himself from this case, he should deliver true justice which will be in line with the rule of law.
“In as much as we cannot pre-empt the court; it is important that we inform the public on the various tactics and actions going on at the background particularly when the ruling party has seen the acceptability of our candidates across the 20 Local governments of the state.
Tella reaffirmed the PDP’s commitment to the rule of law and its expectation of true justice.
He appealed to the people of Ogun State to support the PDP’s candidates and urged the State Electoral Commission to ensure a free and fair election.
When contacted, the Publicity Secretary of APC in the state, Tunde Oladunjoye said the opposition party was only looking for who to blame for their intractable crisis of over 10 years.
He said "What concerns we and them? Let the PDP sort out itself and it’s intractable division that has been on for more than 10 years
"They should stop looking for excuses for their fragmentation. Was it APC that also sponsored parallel congresses in the PDP? Was it The APC that instituted cases by factions against one another?"
"Attacks on judges by parties before the court is the tragedy in our current nascent democracy. However, the law provides avenues on access to justice which a party like PDP, though fragmented, should be knowledgeable enough to pursue if it is really sure of its trivial claim".
On his part, Sikirullahi Ogundele, dismissed the allegations of being sponsored by the state government
Ogundele said, "when I was with them doing their bidding, I was not being used by anyone, but now that I have seen things differently, they are coming up with this cheap lies. The truth is that I am educated, I am a PhD holder and so I am aware of what I am doing, so, nothing like what the factional Chairman was saying"
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