An Osun State High Court sitting in Osogbo yesterday restrained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from expelling its chieftain, Omooba Dotun Babayemi.
Besides, the court warned the party and its agents against taking actions contrary to this order till the substantive suit filed by the chieftain is determined.
A few days ago, some members of the PDP from Babayemi’s Otun Balogun Ward 2 in Gbongan, his hometown, announced his expulsion from the party.
In a counter-move on Monday, the Otun Balogun Ward 2 Executive Committee, represented by Munurudeen Adekunle, while addressing reporters, nullified the purported expulsion and at the same time announced the suspension of those behind the action.
However, on Tuesday, the state High Court sitting in Osogbo and presided over by Justice Jide Falola, ruled against the PDP from expelling Babayemi from the party pending the determination of the substantive suit.
In the suit between Babayemi, PDP, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Bukayo Ogunleye and nine others, an order of interim mandatory injunction was sought by the plaintiff.
In the like manner, it seeks to restrain the defendants/respondents or their agents from carrying out their purported action as captured in the news conference addressed by some members of the party in Otun Balogun Ward 2 Gbongan.
Equally, the plaintiff sought and was granted a mandatory interim injunction to restrain the defendants/ respondents or their agents from taking any further steps pending the determination of the originating summons and to this effect prayed the court to maintain the status quo until the final determination of the suit.
Ruling, Justice Falola maintained that going by Justice Adeyinka Aderibigbe’s pronouncements in the suit as instituted by Mr Ademola Adedokun and 20 others on behalf of themselves and Ward Executive officers elected on September 25, 2021 in the ward election supervised by the then state PDP Chairman, Olasoji Adagunodo, the persons that undertook the expulsion of Babayemi were ordinary members of the party and as such, impostors.
According to Justice Falola, the expulsion of Babayemi was questionable; stressing: “The court is there to intervene where there is serious dispute such as we have here. In effect, I find merit in the Motion Exparte for Order of Mandatory Interim Injunction especially as disposed to in paragraphs 4 I,j,k,l,m,n,ff, hh,ll,jj,kk,ll and nn of the affidavit in support. The party has broken into factions in Otun Balogun Ward 2 Gbongan. Based on the above premise, I hereby accede to the prayers of the applicant.”
To this effect, “the court has decided to reverse and put in abeyance, the purported expulsion of Babayemi, warning that,1st-10 defendants/respondents shall suspend all steps taken or are planning to take with a view to giving effect to the purported expulsion of the plaintiff/applicant, and shall not embark on any punitive against the plaintiff/applicant”
Justice Falola directed that the rights and privileges of Babayemi be restored in the interim as a full-fledged member of the PDP in Otun Balogun Ward 2, Gbongan.