Oyinlola’s reinstatement: New PDP hails ruling, asks Tukur to respect rule of law

The Abubakar Baraje-led faction of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, Thursday asked the party's
National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, to reinstate Prince
Olagunsoye Onyinola, following Wednesday ruling by
an Appeal Court that he be returned as the party
National Secretary. An Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal had on
Wednesday ruled that the sack of former governor of
Osun State, was inappropriate. Delivering the judgment, Justice J.T.
Toh said; "I and
my brother justices have gone through the appeal and
the objections filed by the respondent, but we discovered that the
trial court erred in its judgment. "I therefore order the setting
aside of the decision of the lower court given by Justice Abdu
Karafaraty
which nullified the valid election that brought the appellant to
office," he said. The trial court had held that Oyinlola's
participation in the election was in violation of two separate orders
of
a Lagos Federal High Court. A statement yesterday by the National
Publicity Secretary of the New PDP, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said
the judgment was a great victory for the splinter group. "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," it said. "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." On his part, Oyinlola has urged Tukur to swear him in,
the way he did when Justice Kafarati ruled that he
should be removed from office by swearing in his deputy, Solomon Onwe.
" I give glory to God that my stand that I was unjustly removed has
been vindicated by the Appeal Court,"
he said. "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."
Meanwhile, the PDP has approached the Supreme Court to set aside the
judgment of the Appeal Court. No date has been fixed for hearing yet.

--
Faith Olaniran
Mobile lines: +234-8062723258, +234-8074695684,
www.faitholaniran.blogspot.com
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A Seeker of the Unknown to man but Known to God.