Tukur had no hand in Oyinlola’s removal, says PDP

PDP_News_11-4-11_4-1.32.51_PM• Party still awaiting final judgment

• Reps pay solidarity visit to chairman

CONTRARY to insinuations in some quarters, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had no hand in the removal of Olagunsoye Oyinlola as its National Secretary.

This was the position of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party Tuesday in Abuja.

In a statement, the party explained that the appointment of the Deputy National Secretary, Solomon Onwe, to act as secretary was a consequence of the ruling of the Federal High Court, which annulled Oyinlola’s election as National Secretary.

According to the party, the action of the Chairman Bamanga Tukur in appointing acting national secretary was in fulfillment of the provision of the PDP’s constitution .

“The attention of the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to the sensational and misleading newspaper headlines on the assumption of office of the Deputy National Secretary of the Party as the Acting National Secretary, following the decision of the Federal High Court, Abuja to annul the election of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as the National Secretary of the party. The reports create the impression that the change was occasioned by the personal desire of the National Chairman of the Party to remove Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola from the position of the National Secretary of the Party. The National Working Committee wants to make it very clear that what happened was nothing more than obedience to a court judgment, and the consequential application of the relevant sections of the Party’s Constitution under the circumstance. Section 45 of the Party Constitution states: “45 (1) If a National Officer of the Party is removed or resigns from office, he shall immediately hand over to the National Secretary all records, files and other properties of the Party in his or her possession.

“(2) In the case of the National Secretary, he shall hand over to the Deputy National Secretary.

“Given the judgment of the Federal High Court, a situation was created for invocation of Section 45 and this was done. The matter has absolutely nothing to do with any imagined rift between the National Chairman and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola”, the statement read in part.

Stressing that there was no rift between Tukur and Oyinlola, the party said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we want to say unequivocally that there is no personal rift between Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, as the National Chairman of the Party, and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola to warrant the sensational headlines that have been published in newspapers on the issue. In any event, reports have indicated that Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola has appealed the Court judgment and the NWC wants to say that as soon as the appeal is decided, the party will, in the same way as it did in the case of the Federal High Court ruling, obey the appeal decision.

“We want to make it clear that our great party is a law-abiding party, which bases its conduct and activities on internal democracy and rule of law. Whatever a court of competent jurisdiction decides on any matter involving the party, the PDP will have no hesitation in obeying and implementing the judgment.”

Meanwhile, Tukur has assured the South West geopolitical zone that it would not lose in the distribution of benefits. The Guardian learnt that the chairman gave the assurance when the leadership of the House of Representatives led by the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal and Emeka Ihehioha visited him on solidarity visit.

The lawmakers pledged their support for the transformation agenda of the party.

There have been insinuations that the leadership of the party had a hand in the removal of Oyinlola but he has filed an appeal.

Besides, moves by Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, to reclaim the ruling PDP from the founding fathers in the state yesterday received a boost as the state’s Vice Chairman, (South) and factional leader, Medan Teneke has reunited with the governor.

Teneke, who in November last year in a media interview described Nyako as the worst governor in the country, told The Guardian in his Demsa home town yesterday that his return to the governor’s fold was for the interest of the people of the state.

He pointed out that the political crisis in the state had retarded development in the state.

Teneke who was elected vice chairman a week before he joined Nyako’s camp, said that his disagreement with the governor was not personal, but was purely on his style of government.

He, however, said that Nyako had agreed to amend some of the errors he committed as a result of misinformation by some his aides.