BREAKING: PDP suspends Oyinlola, Baraje, two others

Five days after he was reinstated as party secretary by the Court of Appeal, ex-Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has suspended him from the party.

Mr. Oyinlola was suspended alongside three others — the National Chairman of the splinter PDP, Kawu Baraje, his deputy, Sam Sam Jaja and a former senator from Jigawa state,  Ibrahim Kazaure.

The suspension is believed to be a move to stop Mr. Oyinlola from resuming as national secretary as ordered by the Court of Appeal.
The PDP had earlier today beefed up security around its Wadata Plaza national secretariat following reports that Mr. Oyinlola was set to resume duties.

Details later…

Background

The group of rebel governors, who are members of the Kawu Baraje-led faction of the party, had said at the end of their meeting early this morning that Mr. Oyinlola, who was also national secretary of the faction, was set to resume duties at Wadata plaza.

Perhaps to stop the former governor from gaining entry into the party secretariat, security was heightened around the premises.
A PREMIUM TIMES reporter who visited the secretariat observed a large presence of security officials comprising of the Police and plain cloth operatives.

Police officers carrying automatic rifles were seen strategically positioned along the road leading to the secretariat from the popular Sky memorial plaza.

More policemen were also sighted almost covering the entire area surrounding the immediate vicinity of the secretariat on all sides.
Two Police patrol vehicles were  parked directly opposite the secretariat main entrance, while two more were parked at the intersection between the secretariat and roads leading to the FCT Court complex, a few metres away.

A Peugeot Expert Van was also strategically parked very closed to the main gate with all its doors open and its occupants in alert positions.
The Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had on November 6 reinstated Mr. Oyinlola as National Secretary of the ruling party.
While setting aside the January 11 judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which removed Mr. Oyinlola from office, the Court of Appeal, in the judgement read by Justice J.T Toh, held that the lower court acted in error by granting the declarative reliefs sought by the plaintiffs since the former national secretary was not a party to the suit that nullified the South West congress that produced him (Oyinlola).

It also said that Mr. Oyinlola's right to fair hearing was infringed upon and therefore invoked Section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act in giving the judgement.

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