Court upholds Buruji’s exclusion from PDP

Lukman Amusa

The Peoples Democratic Party has commended the Thursday judgement of an Abuja Federal High Court validating the expulsion of Senator Kashamu Buruji, representing Ogun West, from the party.

National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the commendation on Thursday in Abuja.

Ologbondiyan said that the validation of Buruji’s expulsion from the party had vindicated the party’s position that he was not PDP’s governorship candidate in Ogun.

He said that the ruling had also validated Ladi Adebutu as the PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State hence his candidature was no longer in contention.

While hailing the judgment as a victory for democracy, Ologbondiyan urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, to take note of the development and reflect such in every issue regarding the conduct of governorship election in Ogun.

“The PDP invites Nigerians, the people of Ogun and particularly the INEC to take copious note of the judgment of the court.

“The judgement, in suit no: FCT/HC/0303/2017, delivered today, December 13, 2018 affirmed the powers of the PDP, as provided in her constitution, to discipline and punish any member who contravenes any of the provisions of its constitution.

“By this judgment, it is clear that Kashamu is not a member of the PDP, and cannot, under any circumstance whatsoever, claim to be the governorship candidate of the party in Ogun, more so, when he never participated in any of its nomination processes.’’

Ologbondiyan said that going by the expulsion of the senator from the PDP in July, Buruji lost his membership of PDP and as such, did not partake in any of the party’s nomination processes.

“He did not purchase the PDP governorship nomination form and did not participate in any way whatsoever in our Ogun governorship primary, yet he had continued to cause confusion and parade himself as PDP candidate.

“Finally, the PDP commends the people of Ogun for standing steadfast with its governorship candidate, Adebutu, who is already coasting to victory in the 2019 polls,’’ he said

Buruji, along three others, were expelled by the National Executive Committee of the PDP for allegedly hobnobbing with the ruling party.