Ogun PDP crisis: Setback for Obasanjo, Olurin

The seeming advantage gained by the ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo faction over the one led by Governor Gbenga Daniel in the crisis that is rocking the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State suffered a setback yesterday with the arrest and arraignment of some chieftains of the Obasanjo-led faction of the party.

The factional members of the party arrested by the police and arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja yesterday over allegation of forgery included the Chairman, Chief Bashorun Dayo Soremi; the Secretary, Mr. Semiu Oladipo; Adeja Olokun; Abiodun Taiwo and Aare Olufemi Dehinsilu.

The accused persons, who will have to spend the weekend in prison custody, all pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them. But their application for bail could not be heard yesterday.

The court ordered that they should be remanded in Kuje prison until Monday when their applications for bail would be heard.

According to the First Information Report before the court, Soremi and others were accused of forgery and illegal substitution of the name of Hon. Dave Salako.

It was alleged that the accused persons collected the sum of N100 million from one Oladipupo Adebutu whose name was used to replace Salako’s name.

All the accused persons were arrested following petitions to the Inspector-General of Police and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Salako had said in the petition that without his consent or approval, his name was mischievously removed from the list of PDP candidates in Ogun State submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said: ‘’Like a shot from the blue, informatition came to me today that without my consent or knowlege or approval, someone mischievously removed my name as the Peoples Democratic Party candidate for the April 2011 general election into the House of Representatives in Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency, Ogun State.

‘’To make the matters worse, I understand that my name was replaced with the name of Oladipo Adebutu, an aspirant who took part in the Joju Fadairo-led primaries that was declared unlawful and illegal by Justice Kafarati.

‘‘What is more, if as at March 3, 2011, the court confirmed me as a candidate for 2011 House of Representatives elections, it means that it was after the judgment that my name was substituted. And as at the time, it was unlawful for any change of name to be made in the list of candidates by any party.

‘’There is no doubt that the purportrd change of my name as candidate is wrongful, unlawful and illegal for the following reasons:

I did not sign any document to decline contest in 2011 election as required by law.

*I was the 3rd plaintiff in the suit where the court on March 3, 2011 confirmed the entire plaintiffs therein as the lawful candidates of the PDP in Ogun State.

*At no time did I express or even think of quitting the contest for the House of Representatives election in 2011.

*I was not contacted to confirm or reject my forged signature on the paper presented to you by the person who unlawfully substituted my name.’’

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had earlier refused an application brought by Salako, asking it to restrain Adebutu from parading himself as the PDP candidate for Remo Federal Constituency in the forthcoming election.

The plaintiff (Salako), who is presently in the House of Representatives for Remo Federal Constituency in Ogun State, had in a motion ex-parte filed by his counsel, Mr. Gani Bello, asked the court to stop Adebutu from parading himself as the PDP candidate for the constituency in the forthcoming elections. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), PDP and Adebutu were joined as defendants in the case with ref.No. ABJ/CS/355/2011.

He asked the court to restrain INEC from recognising Adebutu as the party’s candidate for the House of Representatives election for Remo Federal Constituency in Ogun State.

He also wanted the court to stop Adebutu from campaigning for the election on thegrounds that he is not the PDP’s candidate for Remo Federal Constituency in Ogun State.

But counsel to Adebutu, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede, responded by filing a motion to either dismiss the whole case because it was an abuse of court process or to consolidate it with a previous action filed by the PDP leaders in the constituency, led by Aare Olufemi Dehinsilu against Salako.

The matter will be heard on March 29.