By Agbonkhese Oboh

The Chairman of Lagos State Elders Committee of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and former Minister of Cooperation and Integration in Africa, Dr. Bimbo Ogunkelu, has said that the party will appeal the court judgment that sacked Engr. Deji Doherty as Lagos State Chairman and reinstated Dr. Dominic Adegbola.

However, in a swift reaction, the South-West PDP General Secretary, Rahaman Owokoniran, said Dr. Ogunkelu does have a grasp of the judgment, hence veered off course in speaking of an appeal.

On Tuesday, June 22, Justice Oyekan Abdullahi of the Lagos High Court removed Dr. Doherty as the Chairman of the Lagos PDP and reinstated former Chairman, Dr. Adegbola.

The Court said it considered the preliminary objection filed by the first to sixth defendants and dismissed them for lack of merit. Read the story HERE.

Reacting to the judgment that sacked Doherty, Ogunkelu said that the party in Lagos will get a stay of execution and challenge the lower court’s judgment at the Appeal Court.

His words: “We don’t accept that judgment. How can a properly carried out congress be set aside by a court because some people are not happy?

“It is a miscarriage of justice and we will go to the Appeal Court. We don’t understand how the judge came to that conclusion; that is why we will appeal.”

Owokoniran blasts Ogunkelu

But Owokoniran thinks otherwise. In fact, he stated that Ogunleku did not read the judgment. And that if he read it, he failed to understand the issues.

READ ALSO: Lagos PDP members reconcile ahead of LG poll — Chairman

According to the South-West PDP scribe, Dr. Ogunkelu did not contradict Dr. Olusola Saraki at the two reconciliation meetings he presided over in Lagos, when Saraki said that the Congress that produced Doherty was illegal and that it should not have taken place.

“Secondly,” Owokoniran pointed out, “Dr. Ogunkelu was at the Congress that produced Dr Dominic, who contested the state chairmanship position with Chief Apena, Kunle Okunola and Elder Agbaje.

“Chief Apena was disqualified because he was not from Lagos West senatorial district. Dr Dominic emerged the winner from the Congress. Dr. Ogunkelu and Deji Doherty were in attendance.

“Ogunkelu apparently had not read the judgment before this reaction. Because he completely veered off the court ruling on the matter.

“The issue of a letter being raised by Dr. Ogunkelu was not relevant in this matter because according to Dr Saraki it should not have arisen.

“The Court, off course, shares the same view when it said that the Congress that produced Deji Doherty should not have taken place.

“Ogunkelu needs to put his reputation behind the facts and make reconciliation possible as an elder statesman.

“Putting himself in front of this distortion of facts at this point in time is mind-boggling. It is very important that PDP continues to enjoy the reconciliation and peace that Saraki’s reconciliation committee and leaders of the party have successfully gained without unnecessary distractions.

“PDP as a whole has serious work of salvaging the nation at hand.”

Vanguard News Nigeria