When PDP Turns Judiciary On Its Head By Yusuf Ozi-Usman

As much as one would like to detach oneself from comments on Nigeria politics, it would amount to self censor for one to see a clear danger being nurtured and promoted by the self-acclaimed largest political party in Africa and the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and remaining silence or sitting on the fence.
It is no longer news that PDP went asunder, dividing into two on the day it held its special national convention a couple of months ago.
Of course, talking about the circumstances that led to such balkernisation would amount to belabouring the issue, but the obvious resort to lampooning the nation’s judiciary in any form portends danger which the party itself cannot run away from.
Of course, for the purpose of this piece, when one talks about PDP, one is referring to Bamanga Tukur led PDP.
Tukur and members of his National Working Committee (NWC) went to town with celebration the day a court of competent jurisdiction declared that his faction was the genuine PDP.
Two scenario played out from the point the court affirmed the authenticity of Tukur PDP and yesterday, Monday’s announced suspension of Baraje and some members of the new PDP from the party.
The first scenario was when the court delivered a judgment affirming that Tukur is the authentic national chairman of the PDP. From the moment that court declaration was made, the Tukur PDP would not want to hear of any gathering of anybody, including the G7 governors anywhere on the Nigerian soil. Police men were used to even enter the confined sitting room of one of the governors were a meeting was being held, to stop the meeting. All that happened in spite of the constitutional provision that allows for freedom of association and gathering among others. And the fact that the governors were not in any way disrupting any public peace!
To Bamanga Tukur, harassing even governors in the name of court ruling, a few hours after such ruling was made was perfectly in order.
The second scenario came as an opposite of the first and it tested the maturity of the Bamanga Tukur leadership. That was another court ruling that reinstated Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who was part of the break-away PDP, as national secretary of the mainstream PDP, i.e. Tukur led PDP.
Since the judgment was delivered by the appeal court, Tukur PDP has been restless and ruthless. While his leadership went swiftly to implement the first court ruling that favoured his side, he went gaga and dares even the court which asked that the sacked Oyinlola should be returned to his post as national secretary.
Besides turning the running of the party into a kind of master-servant relationship or a large private corporation (where he is the chief executive handing down disciplinary measures on the ‘bloody’ subordinates’), Bamanga Tukur has finally shown his lack of decorum and respect for the views of others, even the court.
It is even laughable that the PDP suspended Oyinlola who in civilized democracy, where the rule of law and court ruling is respected, should be back in his office, even if supreme court later rules that he should remain sacked as secretary.
It is ridiculous for a person to be suspended from the party to which a competent court of the land has, currently, legally asked to be its national secretary, and when there is not yet a move by the party leadership to respect such court ruling.
Is it a case of choosing which court ruling that should be respected and implemented with gusto and which one to reject with impunity and contempt? Where would that kind of impunity lead Nigeria as a nation to?