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A faction of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to the state governor, Adebayo
Alao-Akala, has challenged the order of its National Working Committe
(NWC) that a fresh congress be conducted to put in place a new
executive council in Oyo State.

The faction held a
closed-door meeting at the Banquet Hall of the state’s Government House
in Ibadan on Tuesday in reaction to the order given by the NWC in Abuja
on Monday.

Ostensibly in order
to remove the differences in the state chapters ahead of its national
congress and the 2011 general elections, the NWC rose from the meeting
to order fresh congresses in Enugu and Oyo States where controversies
have trailed the constitution of the executive committes in existence
in the states.

It ordered that the
two states should conduct congresses to elect party officers for their
wards, local government and state excos between Wednesday and Sunday
next week.

But the governor’s loyalists yesterday declared the decision illegal, unconstitutional, and contempteous.

Briefing the press
after the meeting, Richard Akinjide, a former Attorney General of the
Federation, said the order of the party’s NWC had contravened an
existing court order which ruled that no one should interfere with the
current party exco in the state, adding that the order still subsists
till February, 2011.

He said by the order, the NWC is acting in contempt to an order of the Oyo State High Court obtained on September 13, this year.

Disregard of order

Sounding
excessively miffed, Mr. Akinjide noted that with his experience as a
lawyer and activities in politics over the years, he has never
witnessed such a level of disregard to court order.

“The directive is
unlawful and illegal, and I say this with a high sense of
responsibility. I have been a legal adviser of major political parties
in the past; I have never seen such illegality in my political career,”
he said.

The senior
advocate, however, said the party will still go ahead to hold the
congresses as directed, but quickly warned that the party national
leadership must note that it lacks any right to give the order.

He told the gathering that the national secretariat was yet to
formally send a letter to back up its order, though it had informed the
governor about it through a text message.