Ogun PDP crisis: Kashamu, Adebutu disagree on court ruling

Senator Buruji Kashamu said he remains the governorship candidate of
the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun state and that a ruling by the
Appeal Court in Ibadan has not affected his status.

He said the interpretation being peddled around that Oladipo Adebutu has been reinstated as the candidate is ‘fake news’.

Buruji Kashamu

Oladipo Adebutu

The Appeal Court in Ibadan has set aside a court order which
directed INEC to recognise the list of candidates submitted for the 2019
general elections by a faction of Ogun PDP loyal to Sen. Buruji
Kashamu.

Here is Kashamu’s interpretation of the judgment, according to a statement by Austin Oniyokor.

“We have received the news of the judgment of the Court of Appeal
sitting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital that set aside the orders of
the Federal High Court, Abeokuta.

”We wish to clarify that contrary to the false news being spread by
our opponents, the Court of Appeal did not declare Honourable Oladipupo
Adebutu or anyone for that matter as the Governorship candidate of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State. That was not the prayers
of PDP who are the appellants in the matter and so such a prayer could
not have been granted.

”The Court specifically held that it was not a pre-election matter
where the nomination of candidates is in issue since the matter was
filed by the Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led Ogun State PDP and not aspirants.

”Having held that it was not a pre-election matter, the Court of
Appeal could not have made a pronouncement on the validity or otherwise
of the nomination of candidates for the 2019 general election.

“What is more, the 25th of October, 2018 letter written by the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) emphatically stated
that its decision to accept the list of candidates submitted by the
Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led Exco was predicated on three court suits, namely
FHC/L/CS/636/2016, FHC/L/CS/1556/2017 and FHC/AB/CS/114/2018. It is only
the interlocutory orders in FHC/AB/CS/114/2018 that were set aside.

”The full and final judgments in FHC/L/CS/636/2016 and
FHC/L/CS/1556/2017 in favour of the Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led Ogun State
PDP Exco which are yet to be set aside and do not have any subsisting
appeals against them still remain.

”It should also be pointed out that based on the judgments in
FHC/L/CS/636/2016 and FHC/L/CS/1556/2017 in favour of the Engr. Adebayo
Dayo-led Ogun State PDP Exco, INEC had in an earlier letter dated 12th
April, 2018, informed the PDP of the commission’s compliance with the
two judgments of the Federal High Court.

”The extant judgment of the Court of Appeal in this appeal does not
finally determine the matter. That is why it ordered that the case file
should be returned to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for
reassignment of the case to another judge who will hear and determine
the originating summons.

”Following from the above, we wish to reassure our teeming supporters,
party leaders and elders, friends and associates that nothing has
changed. The nomination of Senator Buruji Kashamu and all other
candidates of the Ogun State PDP based on the valid and subsisting
judgments mentioned above has not changed.

“Finally, our lawyers have taken steps to immediately appeal the judgment of the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court”.