FEMI MAKINDE
Fresh controversy has engulfed the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State as a faction of the party, led by Mr. Soji Adagunodo, on Saturday, continued the congresses of the party with a view to electing a new set of executive for the party in the state ahead of the next governorship election holding in September.
The Adagunodo-led faction held the local government congress on Saturday but the Bayo Faforiji-led faction, which is loyal to Senator Iyiola Omisore, claimed in a statement that the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja had asked its officials to withdraw from monitoring the election because of a court injunction against it.
The statement read, “The national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission has ordered its officials to withdraw from the congresses being conducted by the Adagunodo faction of the Peoples Democratic party in the state with immediate effect.
“This became imperative as a result of an injunction secured by the Faforiji faction against the said congresses.
“It will be recalled that the Faforiji faction had insisted that only local and state congresses are outstanding in Osun State since the December 9, 2017 National Convention of the party had passed a resolution confirming the conclusion of ward congress in 27 Local Government Areas in the state, leaving only Ede North, Ede South and Irewole local government areas outstanding.
“With this development, all activities relating to this exercise in the state have been suspended till further notice.”
The National Deputy Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, who is also a chieftain of the party in the state, told our correspondent on Saturday that there was nothing like cancellation of the congress by the INEC as claimed by the Faforiji-led faction.
Odeyemi said, “There is nothing like that at all. You can call the INEC officials to confirm if this is true. We conducted the remaining wards yesterday (Friday) and we did local government congress today (Saturday) and we will conduct the state congress tomorrow (Sunday). There is nothing like cancellation of the congress.
“There is nothing like that. Can an injunction be got on Saturday? You know that this is not possible. There is no injunction stopping the congresses.”
Efforts by our correspondent to speak to the Administrative Secretary of the INEC in Osun State, Mr. Emmanuel Adejusire, on this claim were unsuccessful. He did not return repeated calls made to his mobile by our correspondent and had yet to respond to the text message sent to him on the same issue.
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