A former National Secretary of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola has raised the alarm that the party might be consumed by the current crises it is embroiled in unless it is resolved in order to ensure its survival in the future.
He also said that the PDP could not be talking of“reconciliation”, while some leaders were also taking steps to fragment the party, describing it as a “crossroads” for the party.
This was all contained in a secret memo submitted to the committee set up by the party to look into the problems facing the Southwest chapter of the party and headed by the Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shehu Shema.
Oyinlola, who was the immediate past national secretary and was ousted by a Federal High Court judgement in January of this year, warned that with the proposed merger of major opposition parties, the PDP was now a steep footing which it must watch, lest it falls.
He also said that he suspected some power brokers in the party of acting questionable scripts.
He praised himself for being committed to peace and reconciliation up to the extent of taking Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State to beg the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
The memo, which was exclusively obtained by this correspondent, read: “Without any doubt, the political arena has now assumed higher levels of activity, with the planned merger of some political parties. To us, the leadership of the PDP, we must be able to avoid the problems associated with cynicism and resist the temptation to promote those issues that divide us instead of uniting us. In doing this, let us never fail to read the minds of people and situations correctly, while putting aside sentiments that have torn us apart.
“Today, we stand at a major crossroads. It is through our people and supporters at the grassroots that we could make our great party unshakable and greater.
“The truth is that majority of our members in the Southwest are disenchanted as a result of many issues. And the manner in which we resolve issues confronting us today will largely determine the future of our political activities as a united and cohesive mass movement that is destined to rule Nigeria for a longer period.”
“From the aforesaid and available indications, it seems to me that there is a deliberate attempt to shut out the Southwest from the PDP given the very hasty and questionable decisions taken against us on the orders of the National Chairman, Dr. BamangaTukur, following the court judgment in suit no: FHC/ABJ/CS/504/2012, delivered on January 11, 2013, by Justice Abdu Kafarati. The Learned trial judge nullified my election as the national secretary based on the complaint of the Engr. BayoDayo faction that I emerged as the national secretary based on the decision of the Southwest zonal congress.
“The PDP, led by the national chairman moved swiftly to implement this decision of the Federal High Court, Abuja by hurriedly organising a celebrated inauguration of my deputy, Onwe Solomon Onwe as the Acting National Secretary.
“Surprisingly, PDP disrespected the Court of Appeal to obey a Federal High Court ruling on the advice of Chief JK Gadzama, SAN, who is a personal friend of Dr. Bamanga Tukur.
“Allow me to observe that it is normal for the Deputy National Secretary to act whenever the National Secretary is not available to perform the duties of the National Secretary. I believe there was no need to celebrate this development based on the fact that the PDP constitution is clear on the mode of stepping into the shoes of the national secretary by the deputy national secretary and the fact that the matter was still in court.
“Pronouncements in the newspapers after my removal from office by Mr. Buruji Kashamu and Mr. Joe Gadzama, SAN, stating emphatically that Olagunsoye Oyinlola will never return to office as the national secretary of PDP are very suspect.
“It is also a sad commentary that the PDP counsel went ahead to withdraw the PDP motion for a stay of execution of the Justice Kafarati judgment of January 11, 2013, and caused to be published, various statements antagonising me and my attempts to seek redress through a motion for a stay of execution of the Kafarati judgment.
“That gave cause to me to suspect that some questionable scripts are being acted by some power brokers in the PDP. I say here that it is only God that is able to shut and no man would open; and conversely, open and no man would be able to shut.”
Oyinlola claimed that the crisis bedeviling PDP started shortly after the inauguration of the NWC led by Tukur.
He added: “A few months after our inauguration, I started hearing the rumour that there were planned moves to shut out those of us from my zone, and understandably the Southwest PDP from the NWC and remove us from reckoning within the PDP.
“I was informed that the plan was being hatched to obtain a ‘kangaroo’ court judgment against me on the grounds that I was not validly elected the national secretary of the PDP, as a result of my purported nomination by the Southwest zonal congress held on March 21, 2012, which had been nullified by a court order.
“I never took the information serious because I knew, as a matter of fact that nobody, who understands the constitution of our great Party would ever subscribe to, or canvass that position which is clearly patently false, ridiculous, misleading and pedestrian. I was to later discover, upon investigations and from records at the national headquarters that the crises in the Ogun State chapter of the PDP pre-dated the present NWC, into which I was validly elected.”
Oyinlola insisted that if the party is adamant on his sack from office, the same Federal High Court judgment had implied that Tukur should also vacate office.
He said: “I wish to also make it known that most of the decisions taken in this matter have been unilaterally taken by the national chairman who attempted on more than one occasion to rail-road the NWC into taking hasty and ill-conceived decisions.
“I want it placed on record that our great party ignored the ruling of a Court of Appeal, Lagos which granted the motion for a stay of execution of the order of the Federal High Court which nullified the Southwest PDP congress. I hold that it is surprising that we could ignore the ruling of an Appeal Court which granted a stay of execution of judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos, and choose to respect the order of a lower court simply because it nullified the election of OlagunsoyeOyinlola.
“This development could only ridicule all of us in the eyes of right thinking members of the society; and I must say that, expectedly, these sordid developments have had negative effects on the morale of members of the PDP in my zone.
“Let me go further that going by this same Federal High Court, Lagos ruling cited earlier, both the national chairman and the national secretary have not been validly elected following the nullification of the Southwest zonal congress by the court. That aspect of the judgment concerning OlagunsoyeOyinlola has been implemented.
“However, the Federal High Court ruling which annulled the Southwest Congress which also produced the national chairman and members of the NWC has not been considered in the process of implementing court decisions.
“Technically, that judgment also invalidated the election of the national chairman based on the fact that the Southwest delegates to the PDP zonal congress of March 21, 2012, also voted at our National Convention held on Saturday March 24, 2012.
“ I am of the opinion that if this lapse is not corrected, it would continue to be a case of great injustice and unwarranted assault on the Constitution of the PDP and that of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and against my person and office as a national secretary of the PDP. I believe very strongly, that I was removed from office in very questionable and unjustifiable circumstances.
“I wish to state most respectfully, and without any fear of equivocation that my commitment is to contribute to a democratically constructed PDP that is predicated on peace, justice and truth. It is most painful that our confidence has been badly shaken by political antics and miscalculations which are capable of breeding disharmony in our great Party.
“Coexisting with fellow human beings, even among immediate family members entail difficulties, not to talk about managing a huge political party like ours, which prides itself as the largest and strongest political party in Africa. It must be part of the gifts or endowments of managers of human resources to be able to organize them to keep friction among our members to the barest minimum.
“We cannot in one breadth be talking about the much touted ‘’reconciliation’’ while also taking steps to fragment our cherished political party down the line. The Constitution of the PDP prescribes the mode of managing our Party and our differences.
“I believe that major causes of internal conflicts in the PDP, apart from elite competition are mutual suspicion and our inability to pursue the path of moral rectitude.
He accused Tukur of backing a parallel NWC leading to a deeper crisis in the party.
he said: “Furthermore, the presence of ‘’parallel NWC members’’ at the national secretariat, who seem to enjoy the confidence of the national chairman than the constitutionally recognized NWC members has been one of the greatest problems confronting the National Secretariat.
“A lot of doubts and suspicions could have been avoided, had all issues been handled transparently and made to follow the due process. It is not impossible that anybody so opportune to be functioning in a capacity that makes him/her to hijack the functions of an NWC member, could also be moving to position himself/herself for future political positions, and may indeed be influencing matters based on selfish interests.’’