Ogun PDP Suspends Ex-Gov Daniel, 12 others Insists National Secretary post not vacant
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ward 12, Sagamu Local Government, Ogun East Senatorial District has suspended the immediate past governor of the state, Otunba Gbega Daniel and 12 others for alleged anti-party activities.
Former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel in court
The Chairman of Ogun East Senatorial District of the party, Otunba Doyin Fakoya disclosed this to newsmen at the PDP Remo-North Federal constituency meeting at Isara in Remo-North Local Government Area of the state. While explaining the development, Fakoya said that the former governor’s suspension was carried out to ensure discipline within the party.
According to Fakoya, Otunba Gbenga Daniel has been suspended from PDP by his ward, Ward 12, Sagamu Constituency 2.
“As of today, I am the Senatorial Chairman of Ogun East Senatorial District and I have got a copy of letter that Otunba Gbenga Daniel has been suspended. He is no longer a member of the PDP; he has been suspended by ward 12 Sagamu Constituency 2,” Fakoya said.
When asked why the party suspended the ex-governor, Fakoya, who was flanked by party chairmen from Sagamu, Ikenne and Remo-North local government areas, said the disciplinary committee set up to look into the allegations leveled against Daniel and others, found them guilty as charged.
He said: “Otunba Gbenga Daniel was the one that brought the Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN, to Ogun State and he is financing Labour Party at the moment. You cannot be in three parties at the same time, you can not be in PPN, PDP and Labour Party at the same time .
“Otunba Gbenga Daniel is like any other citizen that joins a political party. He was only fortunate to have governed Ogun State for eight years. Is that enough reason for him to be in three political parties at the same time?
“ Alhaji Bamanga Tukur said we should put discipline back into the party and Daniel’s ward said it has suspended him from the party, so be it.”
Meanwhile, the last may not have been heard about the crises rocking Nigeria’s ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the party leadership on Thursday, again, suspended its South-West zonal congresses and special national convention slated for July 11 and 20 respectively.
The acting national publicity secretary ot the party, Mr Tony Okeke, in a statement in Abuja, said the National Working Committee (NWC) had approved that the South West zonal congresses and the special national convention of the party be rescheduled, in view of the forthcoming Ramadan fasting. The statement said the new dates for the congresses and the special national convention would be announced in due course.
However, feelers from the national secretariat of the party and the Professor Jerry Gana-led mini-national convention planning committee indicated that the action was taken to save the party from another round of fresh crisis.
It was learnt that some northern governors protested the all Christian membership of key positons of the special convention planning committee, to wit, Professor Gana, chairman; Governor Godswill Akpabio, deputy chairman and Senator Ike Ekweremadu, secretary, while they also protested that dates of the zonal congresses and the special convention fell within the Ramadan period.
“It is true that some of the northern governors and concerned party leaders raised the issue and was resolved at the NWC level that both the zonal congresses and the special convention should be put on hold, so as to allow for further consultation in the interest of peace,” a source close to the leadership of the party told the Nigerian Tribune on Thursday night.
However, the special convention planning committee met behind closed doors, during which the various sub-committees for the convention were put in place. When newsmen asked the Bauchi State governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, about the development after the meeting, he said he was not aware of the suspension, but a member of the committee told the Nigerian Tribune in confidence that the matter was raised but no date had been fixed.
Former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel in court
The Chairman of Ogun East Senatorial District of the party, Otunba Doyin Fakoya disclosed this to newsmen at the PDP Remo-North Federal constituency meeting at Isara in Remo-North Local Government Area of the state. While explaining the development, Fakoya said that the former governor’s suspension was carried out to ensure discipline within the party.
According to Fakoya, Otunba Gbenga Daniel has been suspended from PDP by his ward, Ward 12, Sagamu Constituency 2.
“As of today, I am the Senatorial Chairman of Ogun East Senatorial District and I have got a copy of letter that Otunba Gbenga Daniel has been suspended. He is no longer a member of the PDP; he has been suspended by ward 12 Sagamu Constituency 2,” Fakoya said.
When asked why the party suspended the ex-governor, Fakoya, who was flanked by party chairmen from Sagamu, Ikenne and Remo-North local government areas, said the disciplinary committee set up to look into the allegations leveled against Daniel and others, found them guilty as charged.
He said: “Otunba Gbenga Daniel was the one that brought the Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN, to Ogun State and he is financing Labour Party at the moment. You cannot be in three parties at the same time, you can not be in PPN, PDP and Labour Party at the same time .
“Otunba Gbenga Daniel is like any other citizen that joins a political party. He was only fortunate to have governed Ogun State for eight years. Is that enough reason for him to be in three political parties at the same time?
“ Alhaji Bamanga Tukur said we should put discipline back into the party and Daniel’s ward said it has suspended him from the party, so be it.”
Meanwhile, the last may not have been heard about the crises rocking Nigeria’s ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the party leadership on Thursday, again, suspended its South-West zonal congresses and special national convention slated for July 11 and 20 respectively.
The acting national publicity secretary ot the party, Mr Tony Okeke, in a statement in Abuja, said the National Working Committee (NWC) had approved that the South West zonal congresses and the special national convention of the party be rescheduled, in view of the forthcoming Ramadan fasting. The statement said the new dates for the congresses and the special national convention would be announced in due course.
However, feelers from the national secretariat of the party and the Professor Jerry Gana-led mini-national convention planning committee indicated that the action was taken to save the party from another round of fresh crisis.
It was learnt that some northern governors protested the all Christian membership of key positons of the special convention planning committee, to wit, Professor Gana, chairman; Governor Godswill Akpabio, deputy chairman and Senator Ike Ekweremadu, secretary, while they also protested that dates of the zonal congresses and the special convention fell within the Ramadan period.
“It is true that some of the northern governors and concerned party leaders raised the issue and was resolved at the NWC level that both the zonal congresses and the special convention should be put on hold, so as to allow for further consultation in the interest of peace,” a source close to the leadership of the party told the Nigerian Tribune on Thursday night.
However, the special convention planning committee met behind closed doors, during which the various sub-committees for the convention were put in place. When newsmen asked the Bauchi State governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, about the development after the meeting, he said he was not aware of the suspension, but a member of the committee told the Nigerian Tribune in confidence that the matter was raised but no date had been fixed.
The Ogun State chapter of the PDP has petitioned the mini-national convention committee, over plan to conduct a fresh election into the office of the national secretary of the party, insisting that the office was not vacant, despite the removal of its occupant, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, from office by the Federal High Court.
The position of the state chapter of the party was contained in a petition to the chairman of the convention planing committee, Professor Gana and signed by Mr Ajibola Oluyede, counsel for chairman and secretary of the party, Mr Adebayo Dayo and Alhaji Semiu Shodipo, the plaintiffs in the suit no/FHC/AB/504/2012, in which judgment Oyinlola was removed from office.
In the petition, it argued that it was wrong for the party to contemplate on conducting zonal congresses, with the aim of beginning a process that would lead to the election of a replacement of Oyinlola, saying the conduct of the proposed zonal congress would be contrary to the court pronouncement on the matter.
The copy of the petition, made available to newsmen in Abuja, on Thursday, was also sent to other party leaders, including Senator Ekweremadu; chairman of Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, Chief Tony Anenih and President Goodluck Jonathan.
Also in the petition’s distribution list, were the national chairman of the party, Dr Bamanga Tukur; Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Ogiadomhe; chairman, caretaker committee of the party in the South-West, Chief Ishola Filani and the Political Adviser to the President, Mr Ahmed Gulak.
It advised that the planned July 11 zonal congress aimed at electing Oyinlola’s replacement should be put on hold, so as not to run foul of the law, adding that the court’s judgment allowed the zone to send a replacement for Oyinlola as the national secretary and not to elect another person.
The party expressed its happiness that the leadership of the party had complied with the judgment up to the point of accepting the invalidity of the South-West zonal congress of the party conducted in March 2012 and the consequent invalidity of the nomination of Oyinlola.
The position of the state chapter of the party was contained in a petition to the chairman of the convention planing committee, Professor Gana and signed by Mr Ajibola Oluyede, counsel for chairman and secretary of the party, Mr Adebayo Dayo and Alhaji Semiu Shodipo, the plaintiffs in the suit no/FHC/AB/504/2012, in which judgment Oyinlola was removed from office.
In the petition, it argued that it was wrong for the party to contemplate on conducting zonal congresses, with the aim of beginning a process that would lead to the election of a replacement of Oyinlola, saying the conduct of the proposed zonal congress would be contrary to the court pronouncement on the matter.
The copy of the petition, made available to newsmen in Abuja, on Thursday, was also sent to other party leaders, including Senator Ekweremadu; chairman of Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, Chief Tony Anenih and President Goodluck Jonathan.
Also in the petition’s distribution list, were the national chairman of the party, Dr Bamanga Tukur; Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Ogiadomhe; chairman, caretaker committee of the party in the South-West, Chief Ishola Filani and the Political Adviser to the President, Mr Ahmed Gulak.
It advised that the planned July 11 zonal congress aimed at electing Oyinlola’s replacement should be put on hold, so as not to run foul of the law, adding that the court’s judgment allowed the zone to send a replacement for Oyinlola as the national secretary and not to elect another person.
The party expressed its happiness that the leadership of the party had complied with the judgment up to the point of accepting the invalidity of the South-West zonal congress of the party conducted in March 2012 and the consequent invalidity of the nomination of Oyinlola.
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