About five months after the Court of Appeal ordered the reinstatement of its sacked National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, there is still confusion in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the judgment.
Source said that President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Chairman of the party, Adamu Muazu, are said to be in favour of the party obeying the court order but some leaders of the party and the Ogun State Executive Committee of PDP are opposed to it.
The dilemma forced the PDP National Chairman to meet with Oyinlola behind closed doors last Thursday.
It was, however, gathered that the leadership of the party sees the solution in prevailing on the Ogun State Executive Committee of PDP to withdraw its pending appeal at the Supreme Court to address the Oyinlola challenge facing the party.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja in November, last year, reinstated Oyinlola as the National Secretary of the PDP.
The three-man panel, chaired by Justice Amiru Sanusi, upturned the January 11 judgment of Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which sacked Oyinlola.
Justice Kafarati said Oyinlola’s nomination and election as the National Secretary were invalid.
Sources said that attempts by the party to comply with the judgment of the Court of Appeal were resisted by former National Chairman Bamanga Tukur who wanted the case to run its full course.
There are fears that the stalemate might affect the party’s preparations for the 2015 poll if it is not addressed.
It was learnt that if the Supreme Court does not consider the appeal of some leaders of Ogun State Executive Committee of PDP, the party might run into trouble as all actions taken by the incumbent National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, would be illegal.
A top source said that “We are worried about the overall implications of not respecting the judgment of the Court of Appeal because anything done by the present National Secretary is so far illegal.
“There is confusion on Oyinlola’s fate. Some leaders have alleged that since he was one of those who formed the short-lived New PDP, we should not reinstate him.
“The fact is that some of those who formed the nPDP, including governors, have returned to the party. A court had also declared the nPDP as illegal because there was no crisis in PDP to warrant such factionlisation.
“Our concern is about the importance of the National Secretary to our preparations for 2015. We cannot build something on nothing. This is why we are pleading with our leaders to allow wise counsel to guide our decision.
“Some of our leaders are saying that we should rectify any constitutional lapse on Muazu’s emergence at a mini-National Convention in May. The biggest problem is the Office of the National Secretary. Legally, Oyinlola is the National Secretary but in terms of political expediency, it is Prof. Oladipo.”
A source in the NWC said: “The last time we discussed Oyinlola’s matter was during the tenure of Bamanga Tukur. We could not go far because he had a particular disposition to it.
“The new PDP National Chairman is addressing this challenge, but he has not tabled it before the NWC. I knew Oyinlola was around last Thursday and Muazu had some discussions with the reinstated National Secretary. Everyone in the NWC is hoping that Muazu would find a solution to this issue.”
Another source in the party said that “From the look of things, President Goodluck Jonathan and Muazu are disposed to deference to the order of the Court of Appeal to reinstate Oyinlola.
“The party leadership is only trying to manage the situation on how to prevail on PDP leaders from Ogun State, who went to the Supreme Court, to withdraw their case.
“As it is now, Oyinlola has no case before the apex court, it is those PDP leaders who should be magnanimous to put the past behind them since the Court of Appeal had given a verdict.”
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