A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday ordered the remand in prison for six months, three chieftains of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) for flouting an order of the court.
The three PDP chieftains are Chief IretiOniyide, Amb. TundeOladunjoye (now Media Aide to Agriculture Minister), Akin Adesina and Hon Faisiu Bakenne, who claim to be principal officers of a purported Caretaker Committee of the party in the state.
In his ruling over committal proceedings against the contemptnors, Justice Charles Archibong held that the three PDP chieftains, being agents of the PDP, should be remanded in prison for their continued violation of the order of the court contained in a May 2 judgment of the court.
The judge, who noted that the PDP was a party in the substantive suit on which the May judgment was given, was however not specific on which prison the contemptnor should be remanded.
The ruling was sequel committal proceedings filed against the said PDP chieftains, the state’s Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) and its officials, by Chief Adebayo Dayo and Alhaji Semiu Sodipo for themselves and on behalf of the Ogun State Executive Committee of the PDP.
The applicants had accused those cited for contempt of continually subverting the order of court by dealing with the party through other bodies aside the Adebayo Dayo -led Executive Committee, which the court had declared the valid management body of the party in the May 2 judgment.
They accused the OGSIEC’s officials of circumventing the court order contained in the of May 2 judgment by accepting lists of candidates for the July 21 council election from other sources other than the Dayo led Exco.
But the judge refrained from making any order against officials of OGSIEC on the grounds that the agency and its officials cited for contempt were not parties in the substantive suit.
The lucky OGSIEC’s officials include Alhaja Risikat Ogunfemi, Alhaji Korede Lawal, Alhaji Bisiyu Adekanmi, Mutiu Agboke, Oyediran Aina, Kolawole Odesanya and Adetokunbo Williams (described as the moving minds of OGSIEC).
According to the judge,? the court should not be seen as obstructing the electoral process in the state in view of the fact that the forthcoming council election in the state formed the kernel of the dispute between parties.