PDP crisis: Anenih gives Oyinlola condition to return
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Tony Anenih, has told the suspended National Secretary of the party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, to dump the New PDP before his case can be considered by the party.
Since the court ordered his return to office, Oyinlola is battling for re-instatement as National secretary.
But the PDP has sent him and three others on suspension and ordered their trial for alleged anti-party activity by a disciplinary committee.
He said if Oyinlola truly craves reconciliation, he cannot afford to be claiming to be National Secretary of the PDP and at the same time hobnob with the New PDP.
Anenih made his feelings known in a letter to Oyinlola.
The PDP BoT Chairman said Oyinlola can only be reinstated if he defines where he belongs.
But a source close to Anenih said the letter was in response to an earlier one written by Oyinlola for the BOT Chairman's intervention.
Anenih's letter was delivered on Friday when Oyinlola was already out of Abuja, it was gathered.
Although none of the two leaders was ready to make the letter public, a reliable source said: 'The BOT Chairman told Oyinlola that elders of the party are prepared to look at his case for reinstatement on merit but they cannot do so if he remains with the rebellious New PDP.
'Anenih said Oyinlola cannot claim to belong to old and New PDP at the same time. He asked him to renounce New PDP to pave the way for genuine and meaningful intervention.
'It is left to Oyinlola to take to Anenih's advice since he has legal basis for coming back as the National Secretary of PDP.'
A source in Oyinlola's camp said: 'Oga is away from Abuja, he is the only one who can talk on the letter and his position.'
Oyinlola, however, yesterday restated his commitment to due process in order to resolve the crisis in the party.
He said he did his best to explore dialogue in fighting his cause with decorum.
He made his position known through a statement in Abuja by his Principal Secretary, Mr. Femi Adelegan.
He denied circumventing due process and spoke of efforts he made to 'dialogue with the national leader, President Goodluck Jonathan and communicated my grievances to him in writing a number of times.'
He said he also 'made representations to the Chief Tony Anenih Committee; I submitted a memorandum to the PDP Governors Panel headed by Alhaji Ibrahim Shema; consulted with the Prof. Jerry Gana Committee; and also had informal consultations with Governor Seriake Dickson's Reconciliation Committee through a member of the Panel, Chief Dosu Fatokun; and expressed intention to discuss with them, among other moves to find an amicable solution to my illegal removal from office.
'Up till now, there have been no revelations about the outcome of these peace initiatives. I am surprised that some people have continued to trail Oyinlola with rabid and unimaginable downbeat intentions.
'I pray that history will be merciful in judgment to all actors in this saga; and that some people will refrain from continuing to take actions that could enter their names on the negative pages of history.''
Oyinlola raised the alarm over recourse to impunity by some leaders of the party, especially some members of the PDP National Working Committee.'
He alleged 'an indecent haste to nail us' and said 'most of the stakeholders - legislators, state governors and elders of the party are unhappy at the trend of impunity and disregard for the Rule of Law and fundamental human rights exhibited by some members and attempts by some elements to push us out of the PDP at all costs.
'They have only kept quiet in the interest of their belief in reconciliation and hope that the leadership would tread the path of moral rectitude. If the NWC that ought to have called seven meetings of NEC since inception 20 months ago has succeeded in calling only two meetings, do you think stakeholders would be happy at being shut out?' (The Nation)