There is a fresh crisis in the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the court judgement that sacked the state chairman, Engr. Deji Doherty.
The Lagos State High Court also reinstated Dr. Adegbola Dominic as the chairman.
Delivering judgement in the suit, No: LD/3600/GCM/2019, filed by Dominic, the court agreed with the argument of the claimants that there was no vacancy in the party.
Daily Trust reports that Dominic had challenged the special congress of the party that was held in November 2019, saying he remained the substantive chairman having succeeded the former chairman who resigned from the party.
In the judgement, the court presided over by Justice Oyekan Abdullahi said it considered the preliminary objection filed by the 1st-6th defendants and dismissed them for lack of merit.
The court held that the 1st claimant was duly appointed to serve out the term of his predecessor who resigned.
The latest development is coming weeks after the party stakeholders were reconciled by the National Reconciliation Committee chaired by former Senate president Bukola Saraki.
Dominic, in a chat with our correspondent yesterday, said he was ready to take over the affairs of the party with immediate effect, adding that the verdict had clearly stated that there was no vacancy in the party in the first place.
He said he was in talks with security agencies with a view to fast-track his resumption as the state chairman.
“By Friday, we should be fully back in the office. It is the party we took to court, not Doherty and I don’t see the party appealing this because it is a bad case for them. The judge also warned that there should be no obstacle in the implementation of the judgement,” he said.
But Doherty told Daily Trust that the verdict did not have any merit and so it could not hold.
He stated that the party has a 14-day window to appeal the judgement, saying he remained the chairman and that he just finished the state working committee meeting.
According to him, the argument that INEC was not involved in the congress was totally false.
“Chairman of the Elders’ Council has spoken and the national secretariat is going to study the judgement because the judgement has not even been served. We are going to study it and act appropriately. My tenure ends in September or November, therefore, I don’t think what they are doing can hold,” he said.
“Tell us what he (Dominic) wants to take over. Because if you are going to take over on Friday, you have to have something you are taking over. If the national body does not recognize you as a state chairman, then how do you take over? I have just finished an exco meeting now, tell him to call an exco meeting on Friday,” he said.
