Justice Charles Achibong of a Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced three chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State to six months imprisonment for flouting a court order.
In a ruling on Wednesday, Chief Ireti Oniyide, Tunde Oladunjoye (now media aide to Agriculture Minister, Akin Adesina) and Honourable Fasiu Bakene (all claiming to be principal officers of a purported caretaker committee of the party in the state) were ordered to be remanded in prison.
The judge held that the three, being agents of the PDP, should be remanded in prison for their continued violation of the order of the court as contained in a judgment of the court that was delivered on May 2, 2012.
The judge, while noting that the PDP was a party in the substantive suit on which the said judgment was given, was, however, not specific on which prison the three should be remanded.
The ruling was on a committal proceedings initiated against the said PDP chieftains, the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) and its officials, by Chief Adebayo Dayo and Alhaji Semiu Sodipo for themselves and on behalf of the Ogun State Executive
Committee of the PDP.
The applicants accused those cited for continually subverting the order of the court by dealing with the party through other bodies aside the Adebayo Dayo -led Executive Committee, which the court had declared the valid management body of the party in the May 2 judgment.
The plaintiffs accused OGSIEC’s officials of circumventing the court order contained in the judgment by accepting lists of candidates for the
July 21, 2012 council election from other sources other than the Dayo-led executive.
Justice Archibong, in his ruling, however, refrained from making any order against officials of OGSIEC on the ground that the agency and
its officials cited for contempt were not parties in the substantive suit.
The OGSIEC’s officials involved in the matter are; Alhaja Risikat Ogunfemi, Alhaji Korede Lawal, Alhaji Bisiyu Adekanmi, Mutiu Agboke, Oyediran Aina,
Kolawole Odesanya and Adetokunbo Williams (described as the moving
minds of OGSIEC).
Justice Archibong while giving reasons for absolving the OGSIEC officials disclosed that the court should not be seen as
obstructing the electoral process in the state in view of the fact that the forthcoming council election in the state formed the kernel of the dispute between parties.
The judge warned that should OGSIEC proceed to accept list of candidates from sources other than the valid state Executive Committee headed by Adebayo Dayo, the electoral body will be opening itself and the outcome of the election for challenge at the appropriate quarters.
In the May 2 judgment, the court ordered the PDP, its National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur and National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola not to deal with the party in Ogun State except through the Adebayo Dayo-led Executive Committee
It equally restrained the PDP leaders from taking any step to prevent the officers that emerged from the congresses of the Soremi faction from concluding their four-year term as allowed by the constitution.
