The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have fired members of the executive committee (exco) of the party in in Ondo state aimed at accommodating the incumbent governor, Olusegun Mimiko and several others who recently joined the PDP from the Labour Party (LP).
The sacking was confirmed via a statement signed by the national publicity secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh and dated Sunday, October 26, 2014 who said the decision was taken by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party and also affects the exco’s of at local government and ward levels in the state.
The statement read in parts: “The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has announced the dissolution of the Ondo State Executive Committee of the party. By this announcement, all structures of the party at the wards, local governments and state levels stand dissolved. Consequently, a caretaker Committee has been constituted to pilot the affairs of the state chapter of the party. The committee has Mr. Dare Adeleke as the Chairman and Solomon Osawu as the Secretary.”
In their response, the leadership of the PDP in the state, speaking through a statement signed its publicity director, Ayo Fadaka and dated Sunday, October 26, 2014, kicked against the decision, adding that it was unlawful.
The statement said: “To say the least, this action is a clear intention by those we expect to safeguard the interest of the party but they are, by their action, trying to behead it. We also consider this action as a disappointment, particularly in view of the fact that there is a subsisting court order barring the NWC from taking this sort of action.
“Therefore, we reject it and affirm our absolute confidence and support for the members of the executive committees from the wards to the state levels. We want to remind Abuja that it is by choice that we are members of the party and that the party is not a prison yard where we are inmates that are bereft of liberties and fundamental rights.
“We also declare our defiance of this action and as such will continue to recognise and relate only with our executives at every level. We also call on the generality of members of the PDP in Ondo State to be firm and resolute in this period as we will jointly and collective determine, shape and reorder our political destiny,” the statement said.
This comes just a few days before a high court sitting in Abuja would ear a case filed by the Ondo state PDP, asking the court to stop the sack.
