by ‘Jola Sotubo

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has been urged by the Abubakar Baraje-led faction to swear in the former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Onyinola, as the National Secretary of the party as was ordered by a court earlier this week.

The Court of Appeal on Wednesday ruled that the sack of Oyinlola from his position as secretary of the party was wrong and ordered his immediate reinstatement.

Following this judgment, the new faction of the PDP has asked the Bamanga-led group to prove its obedience to the rule of law and swear in Oyinlola as ordered.

Vanguard Newspaper reports:

This is just as PDP has approached the Supreme Court asking the apex court to set aside the judgement of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal which re-instated Oyinlola.

Meanwhile, chieftain of the party and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark has urged the party leadership not to re-instate Prince Oyinlola until he has dumped the new PDP and showed remorse.

In a statement, yesterday, by the National Publicity Secretary of the new PDP, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, the group noted that with the judgment of the Appeal Court, Bamanga Tukur should pack out of Wadata Plaza as the party’s National Chairman.

The statement said: “With the Court of Appeal reversing the unjust sacking of former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the days of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and his illegal National Working Committee, NWC, in the Wadata Plaza headquarters of our great party have become numbered.

“We received this historical judgment rendered yesterday by the Appeal Court, Abuja, through Justice Joseph Tor with great joy and gratitude.

“This judgment has once again reinforced our belief in the judiciary as the bastion of our democracy and the last hope of the common man.

“With this judgment, we hope that very soon our other court cases asking for the dissolution of the Tukur-led NWC would be given the same serious attention to enable us formally take over the reins of our party and restore it to the path of honour, justice and democratic norms which Tukur and his cohorts have bastardised.”

Meanwhile, Oyinlola, in a text message to Vanguard, said that if Tukur actually and truly believes in the rule of law, he should as a matter of urgency comply with the judgment of the Appeal Court the way he did when Justice Kafarati ruled that he should be removed from office by swearing in his deputy, Solomon Onwe.

He said: “ I give glory to God that my stand that I was unjustly removed has been vindicated by the Appeal Court.

“The position of the law and the constitution of PDP on this matter is very clear. I don’t want to pre-empt anybody, but you would remember that PDP immediately complied with the judgement of Justice Kafarati which removed me from office, claiming to be a law abiding organisation.

“I don’t know if there will be a variance of stand now that the appellate court has ruled in favour of me (Oyinlola) that the Kafarati judgement was unfair and must not be allowed to stand. Let’s leave other issues for consideration as events unfold.

“This development further reinforces my belief in the fact that truth is unassailable, and that the path of truth may be long, arrival at its destination is, however, definite.’