8th February, 2011
In a desperate bid to stop the Obasanjo’s faction of the crisis ridden Ogun state Peoples Democratic Party from carrying the day ahead of the forth coming general election, the Party on Tuesday approached a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja seeking to vacate the order of the court which enabled the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to recognize General Tunji Olurin as the governorship candidate of the party in the state.
Counsel to the party, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, a senior advocate of Nigeria, in the motion seeking for the setting aside of the order, told the court that the order was granted in error as the Obasanjo group misrepresented the facts of the case before the court which led to the granting of the order by the court.
The senior advocate asked the court to discharge, set aside or vacate the interim order of injunction made exparte by the court on the 26th of January having been made without jurisdiction and on the basis of alleged concealed material facts and misrepresentation of facts by the plaintiffs.
The motion was however not heard as the counsel representing General Olurin; the gubernatorial candidate of the Obasanjo faction, Mr. Charles Ndukwe frustrated the hearing of the motion which he argued was not yet ripe for hearing since the motion was only served on him right there inside the court minutes before the day’s proceedings.
Meanwhile, the factional chairman of Governor Gbenga Daniel’s faction which produced the governor as the candidate for the Ogun East Senatorial seat, Gboyega Nagim as the gubernatorial candidate and Hon Dimeji Bankole, Lola Abiola Edewor and Lai Taiwo as candidates for House of Representatives and senate respectively, Elder Joju Fadairo, has also applied to the court to be joined as party to the suit.
In a motion on notice filed on the factional chairman’s behalf by Mr. Gbenga Ojekunle, the embattled chairman is asking the court to make him the 3rd defendant in the suit which already had INEC and PDP as first and second defendants respectively.
The presiding judge, Justice Abdu- Kafarati adjourned the matter to 15th February when all the pending motions would have matured for hearing.
By Nnamdi Felix / Abuja