Few days after the former Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola was suspended, indefinitely from the party along with three others, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Disciplinary Committee has summoned him to answer charges of anti-party activities.
Also to appear along with the axed national secretary of the party before the Dr Umaru Dikko disciplinary committee are Alhaji Kawu Baraje, Dr Sam Sam Jaja and Alhaji Ibrahim Kazaure, former national chairman, deputy national chairman and national vice-chairman, north-west zone of the party, respectively.
The affected national officers had since emerged as national officers of a factional group, tagged the New PDP.
Secretary of the PDP National Disciplinary Committee who incidentally is the deputy national secretary of the party, Onwe Solomon Onwe in a statement entitled: “Invitation to Appear before National Disciplinary Committee,” enunciated the alleged grounds of anti-party activities for which Prince Oyinlola, Kawu Baraje and two others are to appear before Dr Umaru Dikko Committee next Wednesday.
The alleged offences include, protest over the conduct of the party’s national convention and instituting a suit against the legitimate party leadership at the High Court of Lagos State, without recourse to the party’s conflict resolution mechanism.
Oyinlola was also accused of writing a letter to INEC, seeking recognition for his faction as the duly constituted PDP National Working Committee (NWC).
The party’s disciplinary committee further alleged that “Since August 31, 2013, the above mentioned persons have consistently maintained that they are of the “New PDP (nPDP)” thereby promoting factionalisation of the party and in doing so, recruiting to their ranks members of the party in the National Assembly contrary to Section 58(1)(b)(i) and (j) of the Constitution.”
But the committee, in its letter however, asked Prince Oyinlola and the three others placed on indefinite suspension “ to present their cases orally or in writing either in person or through a counsel of their choice. They may also wish to call witnesses.”
But Oyinlola, in his reaction has said that he would not appear before the panel. In a statement signed by his principal secretary, Femi Adelegan, the axed national secretary of the party claimed that only the PDP National Executive Committee, not the National Working Committee was statutorily empowered to constitute a disciplinary committee.
Oyinlola further submitted that as a law abiding member of the PDP and free citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he would not be an accomplice or accessory to constitutional violations, as he further noted that he swore to an oath of office as party scribe to respect and protect the grund norm of the PDP in his capacity as the custodian of the seal of the party.
But the PDP National Working Committee may have decided to expel the aggrieved members of the party who have been placed on indefinite suspension.
Daily Sun checks revealed that the sanction for the offences allegedly committed by Prince Oyinlola and three others is punished with removal from office, expulsion, suspension with a fine among others.
Section 59 (1) of the PDP Constitution (2012 as amended) read: “Any member of the party who commits any of the offences listed in Section 56(1) a-g of this Constitution shall be liable to any or a combination of the following penalties:
(A)Reprimand, (b) Censure, (c) Fine, (d) Suspension with a fine, (e) Debarment from holding any party office; (f) Removal from office(g) Expulsion.”
Further checks by Daily Sun revealed that the Bamanga Tukur-led NWC and the Presidency have taken a position to expel the aggrieved members from the party to send signal to certain governors still operating under the aegis of G-7 that it would not condone indiscipline and insubordination to the party national leadership.
But while Oyinlola has insisted that the party’s national executive committee is the only organ of the party statutorily empowered to take disciplinary actions against him and the three others being members of PDP National Executive Committee, further findings however revealed that the same Constitution empowered the PDP National Working Committee under the leadership of Bamanga Tukur to reprimand any erring chieftain of the party.
Section 59 (2) of the party’s constitution reads: “Subject to the provision of chapter XIV of this Constitution, the Executive Committee, at any level of the party, shall have power to decide on any of the disciplinary measures to be taken against any member at that level.”
Further checks revealed that despite the provision of Section 57(7) which restrains any organ of the party from taking disciplinary actions against members of PDP NEC, the Baraje-led leadership of the party is statutorily empowered to reprimand any erring NEC member by provision of 57 (3) of same constitution.
The section reads: “The Working Committee, at any level of the party and the Executive Committee (at the Ward Level) may, after preliminary hearings, suspend a member from the party for a period not exceeding one month, during which period the member so suspended shall lose his right to contest any election and shall be referred to the appropriate Disciplinary Committee.”
No comments:
Post a Comment