‘Expulsion of PDP chieftains to enforce discipline’

Mr. Adebayo Dayo is the factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ogun State chapter, loyal to a billionaire businessman and party financier, Buruji Kashamu. He tells LEKE BAIYEWU, what led to the expulsion of five members of a faction believed to be loyal to former President Olusegun Obasanjo
What are the anti-party activities for which some members of the party were suspended and expelled?
On two different occasions in September and October 2012, the five former party members – Chief Adetunji Olurin, Senator Dipo Odujinrin, Bode Mustapha, Mr. Dapo Adeyemi and Yahya Ahmed – turned our state secretariat into a motor park where they brought thugs carrying weapons and firearms to overpower the private security men on duty. This was in continuation of their desperation to seize control of the party and the secretariat.
They know they do not have the majority of party members behind them; they have lost serially in the law court and even before the right-thinking members of the state. So, they decided to resort to violence. They wanted to get through the back door what they could not get through the front door. The party leadership decided to display a high sense of maturity and referred the matter to the disciplinary committee, since what they did was against the constitution of the party.
Were there any warnings or queries issued before those members were expelled?
Of course, since what they did was drastic and highly embarrassing, the party leadership at an emergency State Working Committee meeting decided to suspend them for 30 days and referred their matter to the disciplinary committee. I am aware that the committee wrote a letter to them severally, inviting them to appear before it and explain why they should not be punished for taking steps that are inimical to the growth of the party. But rather than respond to the invitations, they chose to ignore them. And the consequence is the expulsion and suspension that followed.
Are they likely to be recalled?
The truth is that what they are doing amounts to criminal contempt of court, since we have three different court judgments from the Federal High Court and two from the State High Court confirming our executive and the structure put in place from the ward to the state level, as the authentic. There are two sides to their re-admission to the party. They must first show genuine remorse and show that they have purged themselves of their anti-party activities before their case can be reviewed. On the other hand, we are also planning to commence contempt of court proceedings against them, and the outcome of the case might also determine their fate.
Don’t you think this step might aggravate the crisis in the party, rather than ameliorate it?
No, I disagree with you. Putting your house in order cannot aggravate any crisis. Rather, it will instil discipline and cohesion. The PDP is one big family and before a family, no matter how small or big it is can be peaceful, there must be discipline. All we are saying is that there must be internal democracy within the PDP in Ogun State and we must respect the rule of law. Democracy must be devoid of dictatorship, imposition and injustice. After all, has it not been said that the beauty of a democracy is not the system in itself but the ability to hand over from one administration to the other? At all times, the will of the people must be allowed to prevail. We have a private citizen who has been spending a fortune to keep the party together and strong, yet maintain an uncommon touch with the grass roots. And then, there are those who have made money from the party and various governments; who prefer to throw their weight around and seek to impose their parochial interest on the people, while pretending to be fighting for them.
Is there any plan to unite the warring factions?
All over the world, including England and America, there are always various contending interests, tendencies and groups in a political party. Even in the legislatures, there are groups. This is the beauty of democracy. In 2008, when President Barack Obama was aspiring to lead the United States, another group that believed in the capability of Mrs. Hillary Clinton also sponsored her. But immediately President Obama emerged as the candidate of the party, she buried her ambition and worked with Obama to ensure victory for the party. And of course, you cannot rule out the role of the leadership of the party in ensuring unity and cohesion within its ranks.
We believe that once the National Working Committee of our great party makes a definite pronouncement on the issues in the state chapter of the party, which we trust will be in tandem with what the majority of party members, the Independent National Electoral Commission and the courts have said, it will be incumbent on all the other groups and interests to fall in line and work together as one united indivisible entity to ensure victory for the party in Ogun State.
I recall that in the last judgment given by the Federal High Court, Abuja, in suit no FHC/ABJ/CS/504/2012 that removed Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as the National Secretary of our great party, Oyinlola prayed the court to dismiss the suit because, according to him, my executive had no locus standi to institute the action. But after going through the evidence before him, the judge dismissed his claim and said my executive and the structure put in place by it from the ward to the state level was the authentic management body for the party in the state.
With that pronouncement, these former members are liable to criminal contempt should they continue to parade themselves as leaders of the party in the state. There is no question as to who leads the PDP in Ogun State. That is why I laugh when some people chose to excite themselves by claiming titles that they know deep down in their hearts arejust meant to confuse people and mislead the general public.
Would former President Olusegun Obasanjo be considered in any proposed peace talks?
There is no need bringing Baba Obasanjo into any proposed peace talks. He is the father of all. We regard him as our father and he will remain so. We, as children, can only go and report to him how far we have gone in the quest to build a strong, virile and united PDP in the state; where you do not have to know a godfather somewhere or be someone’s son or daughter before you can be anything.
If Obasanjo is the “father of all” in Ogun State, then why did your executive boycott a reception held in his honour, which had the national leadership of the party in attendance?
It is not true that we boycotted the reception held in Obasanjo’s honour. We were dutifully invited and adequately represented. Our people were led to the event by the scion of Chief Kessington Adebutu and Oladipupo Adebutu. Like I said earlier, there may be contending interests and groups within an organisation but what matters most is the ability to manage the differences and disagreements. We should rise above personality clashes and ego tripping, and be able to draw the line between genuine agitations and inanities.
Again, even in our families, parents and children disagree. What matters is their ability to handle such disagreements and prevent them from getting out of hand. And I think we have been able to do that successfully in the state. At least, since we have been having disagreements, there hasn’t been any bloodshed. Even when they tried to provoke a bloodbath on two different occasions, we were able to restrain our people from falling for their game plan. Rather, we called in the media and the security agencies and did video-recording of the armed thugs they contracted to forcibly seize the party secretariat. We also took their pictures. And of course, we have forwarded the video clips and pictures to the appropriate quarters.
Even though your executive claims it has the backing of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Dipo Odujinrin-led executive once stated it was the only executive recognised by the NWC of the PDP
It is not that we claimed; what happened was that INEC wrote a letter saying based on the several court judgments in our favour, flowing from its monitoring of our various congresses from ward to the state level, it will relate and deal with my executive. The media, including The PUNCH, reported it. The letter was signed by the Secretary of the commission, Alhaji Abdullahi Kaugama. And that has not been denied by INEC.
Now, as for Odujinrin and his co-travellers, I have said earlier that their action is meant to confuse the public and mislead people – the very reason the party has decided to wield the big stick on them. For me, I am not bothered by their claim because anybody can claim anything. What matters at the end of the day is who carries the day. Whatever they say is of no consequence.
What is more, the Federal High Court in Lagos had in a judgment delivered on November 16, 2012 nullified the purported congress that they conducted, ordered their arrest and prosecution for parading themselves out as officers of the party in the state. This was sequel to two judgments delivered by an Ogun State High Court sitting in Ilaro, which on June 19 and August 3, 2012 affirmed our executive as the authentic management body for the party in the state and nullified the list of candidates submitted for the July 21, 2012 council election in the state by these impostors.
Let me also add that no NWC recognises them. Perhaps, what they meant to say was that Oyinlola recognised them. Naturally, it should be expected that they will not want to go down without a fight. It is just that their action is no more than political masturbation by some political Lilliputians. They have embarked on a mission they are ill-equipped to accomplish – mentally, strategically, politically and spiritually. The house built on the quicksand of illegalities, imposition and injustice will continue to crumble under the weight of truth and incontrovertible evidence. We have always been and will continue to be ahead of them. The struggle is not of brawn but of the brains.