CONGRESS: COURT DIRECTS LADOJA, OTHERS TO NOTIFY PDP

Justice Baba Yusuf of an Abuja High Court on Thursday asked a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State to put the national headquarters of the party on notice over its request seeking a declaration that the congress held by the state chapter of the party on February 28, 2008 was illegal.

The plaintiffs alleged that the congress was held in defiance of a valid and subsisting order of a court of competent jurisdiction.

The plaintiffs, Dr. Lekan Balogun, Chief Rashidi Ladoja, Alhaji Yekeen Adeojo and others had in a motion ex parte, filed through their lawyer, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), urged the court to summon the defendants to appear before the court.

They also joined the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission as co-defendants to the suit.

The plaintiffs is asking the court to hold that PDP has no State Executive Committee in Oyo State and that it has no qualified or eligible delegates for the purpose of holding any party primaries in the state.

It added that in the absence of a valid congress of the party, there could be said to be duly constituted State Executive in the state and afortiori no delegates for primaries.

The plaintiffs also asked the court for a declaration that the PDP, being a duly and validly registered political party is bound by its own constitution and that the State Executive Council of the party has not been constitutionally constituted.

The matter has been adjourned till September 21.