The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Ogun State has suspended a governorship aspirant of the party, Jimi Lawal, for allegedly participating in an “illegal” governorship primary election in the state.
The party suspended Mr Lawal and four others including the Financial Secretary of the party, Bola Odunmosu, and the party chairman of Ijebu North-east local government, Tope Asiru.
The Secretary of the party, Sunday Solarin, announced their suspension immediately after a State Executive Council meeting held at the party’s secretariat in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Mr Solarin said Mr Lawal and the others were suspended for violating the constitution of the party by conducting and participating in an “illegal” governorship primary election which was not authorised by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.
It will be recalled that a Federal High court sitting in Abeokuta recently cancelled the party’s primary and also ordered that a fresh primary be conducted within 14 days.
But the National Executive Council of the party appealed the judgement insisting that there will be no other primary in the state.
While briefing journalists at their party secretariat on Monday evening, Mr Solarin said Mr Lawal in connivance with the four others conducted an illegal primary.
Mr Solarin added that Mr Lawal and the others were suspended for one month pending the outcome of a disciplinary committee which would be set up to review their action.
Mr Solarin, while handing down the suspension said, “All of these shenanigans will be put to bed and we have resolved that the principal actors of the illegal primary election will be exposed. They have been found to have transgressed against the laws of the party and their punishment will be given.
“We were informed that an Illegal congress was going to happen today and history has it as of this afternoon that some people gathered somewhere to carry out an action that is not constitutionally or statutorily assigned to them.
“We have also resolved today that Otunba Jimi Lawal is also going to be on suspension with immediate effect because he participated actively in a congress not conducted by the State Executives of the party, an action which has been found to bring the party into disrepute.
“We must also emphasize the fact that in a house where discipline is missing, definitely such a house will not raise good children and they are not going to raise a good ambassador for that family.
“Because PDP is a house that believes in the rule of law, it is a house built by our forefathers, managed by all of us. We are not going to open our eyes and allow some dissidents to destroy the house and therefore we must toe the path of discipline by showing them the way.
“So they are suspended for the next one month in which case the disciplinary committee will be set up and they will be invited to come and explain the action they took, the reason why their suspension will not be elongated or the reason why it will not be translated to expulsion.”
When contacted for reaction, the spokesperson of Mr Lawal’s faction, Austin Oniyokor, did not respond to phone calls and text messages.
