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The recent declaration of the secretary of national advertising, the Hon. Debo Ologunagba, which announces the alleged appointment of a South-South zonal custodian committee is a serious violation of the establishment of the PDP and an affront to the rule of law.
The establishment of the PDP explicitly outlines the processes for the election of zonal officers and the management of zonal affairs. According to section 28 (2) (b) of the Constitution of the PDP, the Zonal Congress is the only authorized body to elect the officers of the Zonal Work Committee. In addition, section 28 (3) provides that the zonal congress will meet at the request of the national vice -president from the area. In addition, section 27 (2) (c) clearly defines the Zonal Executive Committee as the only body authorized to convene the Zonal Congress and prepare its agenda, while section 27 (3) requires that the meeting of the Zonal Executive Committee is located in the case of the national vice president.
In rigorous adherence to these provisions, on February 15, 2025, the south-south zonal chapter of the PDP held his meeting of the Zonal Executive Committee in Benin, in the Edo State, at the request of the national vice-president from the area, the leader Dan Osi Orbih, as requested by section 27 (3) of the Constitution of the PDP. During this meeting, the Zonal Executive Committee approved on February 22, 2025, for the meeting of the Zonal Congress, in line with section 27 (2) (C). To the aforementioned date, the Zonal Congress, exercising its powers as expected in section 28 (2) (B), duly elected officers of the South-South Zonal Work Committee, including the leader Dan Osi Obih as national vice-president and lawyer George Turner as a zonal secretary. Before the conduct of this congress, the party informed the independent national electoral commission that sent its staff to monitor the exercise in accordance with the provisions of the electoral law.
It is therefore shocking and unacceptable that an official of the National Work Committee, weak Ologunagba, who claims to be a lawyer, would have exceeded his constitutional mandate to announce an alleged appointment of a zonal custodian committee to take positions that are not vacant. With the provisions of Section 33 (2) of the Constitution of the PDP, only the national convention, as supreme control body of the party, enjoys powers to invalidate the actions or decisions of a zonal congress. In addition, section 29 (2) (a) establishes that the National Work Committee is responsible for the party administration of the party at national level and operates under the control of the national executive committee. While section 29 (2) (b) allows the NWC to act on behalf of the NEC in emergencies, explicitly states that these actions are subject to ratification of the NEC. In other words, the NWC cannot hide under the mask of a “emergency” to perpetrate illegality.
This is not the first time that the NWC has attempted to overcome its limits and judicial precedents have constantly reaffirmed the limits of its powers. In 2012, the state executive committee led by Adebayo of the state chapter of Ogun dragged the NWC to the Federal Court of Lagos for the powers of the state executive committee to conduct the state congress of Ogun without the directive, the involvement or sanction of the NWC. In the FHC/L/CS/347/2012 case, the Court ruled as follows:
“That an order is granted to the actor (Adebayo PDP OGP, linked to Day) who limits the 2nd accused (PDP) by himself, his agents, servants, procures the complaints listed in the exhibitions attached to the security declaration in support of this original convocation.
“That an order is great to the Plaintiff Directing the 1st Defendant (INC) to deal Exclusively with the New Ogun State Officers of the PDP that emerged from the Congresses conducted by the Plaintiffs (as listed in Exhibits Attached to the entrance in Support of This Originating Sums) in The conduct of the 2nd 2nd Defenseant’s (PDP’s) Programmas in Ogun State, Including Congresses and Primaries of the Party Until is spent the four -year mandate to which they were elected. “
This sentence was supported by the Supreme Court.
In the same way, in 2016, a cause presented at the High Federal Court of Lagos (number of Cause FHC/L/CS/636/2016) reiterated that the power to convene the congresses resides with their respective executive committees of the party, based on the 2012 sentence. In 2020, the NWC led by UCHE Secondus established a new case on the same topic before the judge Ekwo Federal to Abuja. Judge Ekwo rejected the case as frivolous, noting that he had been determined in 2016 and established that only the executive committees to their respective levels have the power to evoke the conferences at those levels.
In light of these judicial declarations, which precedes the mandate of the leader Dan Osi Orbih as national vice -president, the recent declaration of Mr. Debo Ologunagba on the alleged South-South custodian committee is an performance of spascality, null, vuol and an exercise of futility. We invite all the party leaders, the interested parties and the members of the South-South area to ignore this illegal action and continue to work together in the overall interest of the party, in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the PDP and the rule of law.
Signed:
Prince Etim Isong
Zonal Chapter Southsouth
Democratic Party of people
March 8, 2025
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