2023: Ogun PDP Crisis Escalates; Showunmi Vows To Get Governorship Ticket

By Akinwale Kasali

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State has remained has continued to escalate as former Governorship Aspirant, Segun Showunmi has vowed to get the opposition Party’s Governorship ticket at all cost.

Showunmi is fighting over the PDP Gubernatorial Primary which saw Oladipupo Adebutu emerging as the Party’s Governorship Candidate.

He described the process as a charade,  prompting him to take a legal action against the process.

At the Court of Appeal on Monday, 15th, August, 2022, Showunmi had judgment of the Court in his favour. He  expressed confidence that at the end of the struggle, he would emerge the authentic candidate of the PDP in Ogun State in the next few weeks.

This was followed by, the August 17, 2022, judgment at the Appeal Court  Abuja, which he (Showunmi) said is  necessary to clarify, considering the barrage of calls and deep interest of the public in the matter. He noted that he was humbled by the number of Nigerians that were interested in the case.

Showunmi who was the spokesperson to Atiku Abubakar, the PDP Presidential candidate in the 2019 election, observed that for the health of democracy, Nigeria should have passed that stage where the imposition of candidates would be the order of the day.

The Court of Appeal in a judgement delivered by Justice Chidi Nwaoma Uwa, on Monday, found Showunmi’s appeal meritorious, with regard to two of the issues he raised in the suit against PDP and two others.

Reacting to the judgement, Showunmi said: “I went through the right channels right from the beginning even before the primary election, to draw the party’s attention to the anomaly going on in Ogun State. I want to put it on record that no one can intimidate me into conceding defeat where I am a winner. I will fight this battle to the end and will be on the ballot. No individual has a monopoly of wealth. Where is even the wealth? We must run on ideas. I have a network of family and friends that can easily and comfortably prosecute a governorship election.

“When the party declared open the sale of forms, it meant anybody who wanted to contest for any position including the presidency, should start buying form. My colleague, Hon Ladi Adebutu purchased his form on the very first day. Ironically, upon buying his form, Hon. Adebutu went to the media – the Television, Newspapers and Online platforms saying that the Executive Committee (EXCOs) of the Peoples Democratic Party bought the form for him.

“I reasoned that if we were to go into a contest that requires us to get adhoc delegates from the Excos in the wards and follow the rules that will lead to getting the delegates that will put together an electoral college that will elect the party’s candidate, I felt that the constitution of the PDP had been compromised and broken because the fact that they bought a form for a particular candidate shows that there is a bias, and that they have been compromised.

“Secondly, the Oath of Office of the EXCO which includes that they will be free, fair and just to all and sundry had also been compromised. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had also been breached relative to how political parties are to organise themselves.

“I, therefore, wrote a letter to the national organ of our party – the National Chairman’s Office, the National Secretary’s Office, the National Organizing Secretary’s Office and the National Legal Adviser’s Office, saying that it is unfair to purchase a contest form for one among several contestants. I offered remedial opportunities alongside my complaint.

“As a remedy, I recommended that the EXCO, which action showed bias should be dissolved or set aside while a fair set of people should be brought on board to superintend the primary election process.

“I gave a number of sound and progressive advice, and I explained that if they failed to do the needful, I would have no alternative but to seek redress in court. Because of their penchant to disregard everything that other people in other civilizations will treat as serious, I wrote the letter in the court and gave them a proof of service from the Federal High Court, Abuja.”

He said the Court of Appeal had been very thorough in its judgement and had given him victory in that first step, adding that every Nigerian must be able to exercise his legal rights within the law.

Reacting to the Appeal Court Ruling in a statement, the Director of Media, Ladi Adebutu Campaign Organisation, Afolabi Orekoya, said the purported affirmation of Showunmi as the candidate of Ogun PDP by the Appeal Court on Monday is a complete departure from the actual matter before the court.

Orekoya’s reaction came on the heels of the statement issued on Monday by the Showunmi group that the Appeal Court allowed the appeal of Showunmi and set aside the ruling of the lower court.

According to Orekoya, the fact of the matter is that the originating summons filed by Segun Showunmi was instituted at the State High Court of Ogun State on April 1, 2022 seeking:

“An order of the court to dissolve the entire executive of the Ogun State PDP on the premise that the executive of the state’s PDP was biased by obtaining form for one of the aspirants.

“An order seeking the barring of entire members of Ogun PDP executive from conducting the primaries of the party.

“An order seeking the national party to constitute a three-man caretaker committee to conduct the party’s primaries.”

He said that the trial judge, Abiodun Akinyemi of the State High Court on Thursday, May 19, 2022, ruled: “I find and hold that this court has no justification to entertain this suit. Accordingly, it is struck out.”

Orekoya said the above background was given for the public to be well informed that the basis of Showunmi’s appeal was based only on jurisdiction and not candidacy, saying: “The Appeal Court only sat on whether the state High Court has jurisdiction to hear his suit or not. The court only held that even though the matter is time-bound but the state high court should have given him an opportunity to hear his matter.

“Therefore, the purported report on some media platforms that the Appeal Court affirmed that Segun Showunmi is the candidate of the Ogun PDP was a fake and complete departure from the Appeal Court ruling.”