Court stops Oyo PDP congress - We will go ahead - Adedibu

By Dolapo Ekanade, Niyi Adebimpe and Tope Abiola - 28.02.2008

AN Ibadan High Court judge on Wednesday issued an interim order stopping the congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State earlier scheduled to be held today.

The presiding judge, Justice Ladiran Akintola, gave the order following an application by three aggrieved members, Saka Rashidi, Ajao Jide and Adeaga Olusegun Adetunji, who dragged members of the party before the court protesting the alleged imposition of candidates by Chief Lamidi Adedibu.

The three had last week dragged the party and its chairman in the state, Chief Dejo Afolabi, to court alleging that candidates were imposed as officers in ward, local government and state chapters of the party.

They alleged that delegates for the PDP national convention coming up on March 8 in Abuja were already nominated and imposed on members rather than following the party’s constitution which stipulates that the positions should be filled through the ballot.

Akintola had last week Thursday declined to issue the interim order restraining the ward and local government congresses from being held, pointing out the need to give the respondents a chance to be heard.

He ordered the plaintiffs to serve a hearing notice on the plaintiffs the same day and adjourned further hearing in the case till next Tuesday.

Reacting to the order, Chief Adedibu, in a telephone interview with the Nigerian Tribune, alleged bias on the part of the judge, stressing that Oyo State PDP had no iota of crisis whatsoever.

“We have no problem among ourselves; they are not PDP members and, therefore, they can’t stop us,” Adedibu said.

The PDP chieftain also denied any knowledge of the order of the court stopping the congress.

“We will go ahead with our congress. No court can stop an action that had commenced. We had our ward and local government congresses without any order stopping us, why would they now come up to stop an action that had commenced? It is not possible and it won’t work,” he said.