A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has granted permission to the executives of the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to serve contempt proceedings against former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole.
Apart from Bankole, others mentioned as alleged contemnors in the committal proceedings filed on Wednesday are the PDP, former Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel and a former member of the House of Representatives from the state, Dave Salako.
The contempt suit was filed by the Adebayo Dayo-led executive of the PDP in Ogun State.
In the committal proceedings, it was alleged that the contemnors (Bankole, Daniel and Salako) have been indulging in series of activities to remove the Dayo-led executive, despite two separate judgments of the Federal High Court affirming the legality of the executive.
Trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, who granted the permission to serve the contempt proceedings after an ex-parte application to that effect was argued before him, also ordered that the notice of committal and accompanying processes be served on the alleged contemnors outside Lagos and in Abuja and Ogun State respectively.
Justice Abang held that service on the alleged contemnors in Ogun state could be effected by pasting same in a conspicuous part of Ogun State PDP secretariat, while that of Daniel is to be served through Kresta Laurel, his office located in Maryland, Lagos.
The judge also ordered that the status quo ante bellum (position as at the date of the ruling) be maintained by the parties to the suit.
In effect, the court ordered that the planned removal of Dayo-led PDP executive should be put on hold for now, pending the determination of the suit.
Justice Abang threatened not to hesitate to reverse any purported steps that may be taken by the alleged contemnors in respect to the issue before the court pending the determination of the committal proceedings.
The judge, however, declined to grant an interim injunction restraining the National Integration Committee of the PDP from dissolving the Ogun State Executive Committee of the party.
The judge also declined to grant an interim injunction restraining the alleged contemnors from conducting themselves in such manner that is designed to disrupt the structure of the Ogun PDP as presently constituted.
Also, Justice Abang declined to issue an interim injunction restraining the alleged contemnors from participating in any activity of the PDP in Ogun State including meetings, congresses and or primaries except as organised by the Dayo-led executive.
According to the judge, the justice of the matter requires that the said alleged contemnors should be allowed to present their side of the issue before a decision is taken.
The matter was consequently adjourned to November 5, 2014 for hearing.
In a supporting affidavit, the applicants alleged that just as Ondo State PDP executive was recently dissolved, the alleged contemnors have also been making frantic moves to ensure that the Ogun PDP executive is equally dissolved, with the aim of handling the party structure in the state to their surrogates.
They alleged that because Bankole was nursing the ambition to become Ogun State governor, he is not comfortable with the present PDP executives in the state, and had been attempting to ensure that the present executives are sacked by the National Integration Committee of the PDP.
The applicants further alleged that Daniel and Salako were also not comfortable with the current executive of the party in the state as the Dayo-led executive was perceived to be working against their political interest.
