The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Wednesday set the stage for the expulsion of the chairman of its splinter group, Alhaji Kawu Baraje; his deputy, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja; and the party’s court-reinstated national secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
The party’s disciplinary committee, chaired by Alhaji Umaru Dikko, recommended to the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), headed by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, that the trio should be expelled from the party for working against its interests.
Baraje and Jaja along with five governors of the party joined other members of the New PDP on Tuesday to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Although Oyinlola, a former governor of Osun State, was at a meeting where the decision to defect from PDP was taken, he clarified yesterday that he was not jumping ship with the others to the opposition party, saying he remains in the ruling party.
According to him, though the PDP is enmeshed in a crisis, he would not relinquish his mandate as the national secretary of the party to defect to another party.
“That mandate to serve the PDP was given overwhelmingly by all PDP members across all divides in the country and same has been revalidated by the Court of Appeal,” he said in a statement signed by his Principal Secretary, Mr. Femi Adelegan.
He urged PDP members to be steadfast and pray for the party in these trying times while promising to use his position as the national secretary, coupled with his experience in crisis management, to help in rescuing the party from its self-inflicted crisis.
The statement explained that Oyinlola’s purported suspension did not invalidate his substantive position as PDP national secretary and that he was resolutely committed to leadership through dedicated and selfless service, and would rise to challenges and the responsibilities of any office he is privileged to occupy legitimately; as these virtues had become his second nature.
Source: Thisday
