The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Dr. Sikirulai Ogundele, and 13 local government Chairmen of the party have filed an action at the Ogun State High Court, Abeokuta, challenging the presentation of certain persons whose names are not in the Register authenticated by the national leadership (NWC) of the party for the recently held Ward, Congresses as candidates of the Party.

In the Suit No. AB/484/2024, which was filed by Kazeem Gbadamosi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the Plaintiffs are asking the court to determine if persons whose names are not on the list of Register of members approved by the National Working Committee (NWC) for Ward Congress could present candidates or be presented as candidates of PDP in the forthcoming Local Government election.

If the court finds in favor of the Plaintiffs that those whose names are not on the Register of the party authenticated by the NWC cannot present candidates or be presented as candidates of the PDP for the Local Government election of 16th November 2024, they are praying the court to pronounce their sponsorship as being null and void ab initio.

They also want the court to order OGSIEC to delete the Chairmen, Vice-Chairmenship, and Councillorship candidates whose names are not on the authenticated register if it agrees with the submissions of the Plaintiffs.

Although no date has been fixed for the hearing of the case, the parties (PDP and OGSIEC) were served on Wednesday, 6th November 2024.

It would be recalled that the Party held parallel Ward, Local Government, and State Congresses across the 236 Wards, 20 LGAs, and at the State level.

The two major factions in Ogun State PDP are, one led by the 2023 governorship candidate, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, and the coalition led by the trio of a former PDP governorship aspirant, Otunba Jimi Adebisi Lawal (JAL); the 2023 deputy governorship candidate, Abdulkadir Adekunle Akinlade and the State Chairman, Dr. Sikirulai Ogundele PhD.

It was gathered that in the wards, LGAs, and State congresses, two sets of executives emerged for the 17 ward exco positions across all the 236 wards 18 Exco in each of the 20 Local government areas, and 39 State Exco positions.

The foundation for the parallel congress was laid by the alleged refusal of the Hon. Ladi Adebutu-led faction to use the Registers authenticated by the national leadership of the Party for the Ward Congress.

Secondly, the Hon. Ladi Adebutu’s group refused to submit the Registers in their custody to the national leadership for harmonization and/or authentication ahead of the congresses further alienated them.

Sources close to the Adebutu faction hinted that they thought it was business as usual when they disregarded all the directives and letters written by the NWC for them to release the Registers in their possession for membership registration.

The authenticated Registers, it was learned, consist of names of the members/delegates to the Ward Congress (those to vote and be voted for at the elective congress) in line with Section 8 (10) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017).