Expectedly, the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, today, declared as invalid, the factional National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP held in Ibadan late last year.
Honestly, I don’t see how the judgment of the Federal High Court could have gone otherwise and I have said so before now. There was no legal basis for the holding of that Convention in the first place.
The judgments of two Abuja Federal High Court which ordered that the Convention must not hold were clear and unambiguous. The only way the Convention could be saved at the time was if the Makinde Group had overturned the judgments at the Court of Appeal.
That was not done. Instead, a suit was commenced before an Oyo state High Court by the Makinde Group and an ex-parte order was granted by the Oyo state High Court, mandating the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to attend the Convention planned for Ibadan.
When that order was granted by the Oyo state High Court, I was emphatic about the fact that it was an exercise in futility and that it would not avail Governor Makinde and his Group if they decided to disobey the Judgments of the Federal High Court just because of that interlocutory order of the Oyo state High Court.
In the first place, the two separate judgments of the Abuja Federal High Court are superior to an interlocutory order of the Oyo state High Court. The High Court in Ibadan can not sit on Appeal over the Judgments of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Further more, by the time the Oyo state High Court kept re-issuing its order, INEC had challenged the jurisdiction of the Court to adjudicate on a matter involving the Commission and instead of the presiding judge to first determine whether he has jurisdiction or not, he left the matter and kept issuing further orders against the Commission.
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Sadly, after the Convention had been concluded, the same presiding Judge agreed that he had no jurisdiction to hear matters involving INEC and struck out INEC as a Party to the suit! It was after that decision by the Oyo state High Court that the Governor Makinde faction now ran to the Federal High Court in Ibadan.
When I heard that they were before the Federal High Court in Ibadan, I asked myself, what are they looking for? Have they forgotten that they were in contempt of two separate judgments of the same Federal High Court they ran to? Don’t they know how the Courts view a contemnor? In this whole episode, there are some areas I don’t yet get clearly.
Mr. Tanimu Turaki is not only a Legal practitioner, he is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. As a SAN, was he also in support of the processes that led their faction to this perilous point? Most especially, the legal processes?
If he was, is it that he was not aware of the litany of legal blunders perpetuated at the Oyo state High Court? Who gave the faction the advice to proceed with the Convention despite the litany of landmines all around the path to holding same?
Is it all about desperation or what? Only God and Governor Makinde knows the amount of public resources that was wasted on that ill fated exercise. What of the inconveniences that we were all made to experience? Not only money but Oyo state Government assetts were also deployed for the exercise.
I recollect that TCTC Buses were rebranded and deployed to carry delegates on the day. Several roads around Adamasingba were blocked and vehicles prevented from plying some routes. Now, everything has gone up in flames. To make matters worse for Governor Makinde and his now stranded Group, the Federal High Court not only barred the Tanimu Turaki led- NWC from parading themselves as officials of the PDP, it also affirmed that the Wike backed Caretaker Committee led by Mohammed Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu are the recognized NWC pending the conduct of a valid National Convention.
What a calamity! Some days ago, I reacted to the interview of the Oyo state PRO of the PDP where he was maligning both Wike and Fayose. As if I knew that this would happen, I advised him against such childish attitude. When people began to eulogize Governor Makinde, attributing to him, all manner of sweet appellations, I used to laugh.
I have maintained that position, that Governor Makinde is just an opportunist. There is nothing special about his evolution. On a Chess Board, I will beat him again and again any day because he is very easy to predict and his weaknesses are always there for any smart person to exploit.
Before that Convention, the former Senate President Bukola Saraki offered him a very brilliant way out.
So simple.
Postpone the Convention slated for Ibadan, let’s appointment a Caretaker Committee while we pursue an acceptable template for the holding of a National Convention but Governor Makinde would have nothing of such.
His refusal to listen to such advice is his number one weakness. If he had agreed, certainly, he would have a big say on the membership of the Caretaker Committee. Even at the time, the Wike Group were not that adamant about having total control of the PDP.
Now, look at where Governor Makinde has led his followers to. On a road to nowhere. I think the Governors remaining in the PDP are now four. It will not be long before it remains only Governor Seyi Makinde. The day I heard him say he could be very stubborn, I feared for him.
As a Leader, stubbornness is not a virtue. I told him before now that he is no match for those he is challenging to a combat. These people have been on the field for a very long time. They are masters of the game. Highly tactical, precise and ruthless. That is why I told Governor Makinde that it is not everyone who will look away when you stab them in the back.
Reason I also warned him that he is just like a dog who chose to go and hunt in a jungle where Tigers roam. ( Ni koleji ekun, ni koleji ekun, aja o ni debe lo kawe ni koleji ekun). I have tried to look at the options open to Governor Makinde now and honestly, I don’t see any that is easy.
Will he now go back now to beg Nyesom Wike? If he does, will Fayose not mock him and abuse the hell out of him? The same former Governor Ayodele Fayose have been taunting him over his last visit to the Villa.
Will he go back to the Villa once again to go and do what story tellers told us about how the tortoise became a slave to the ‘ Osanyin’?(Osanyin elese kan, mo di eru e o). Believe me, that would be worse because, even if Governor Makinde volunteers to be a party Agent for the APC in 2027, we won’t accept him.
We are not comfortable with people with cancerous characters. A few minutes before the news broke that Governor Makinde lost at the Federal High Court, I saw the video of a supposed man of God who said Seyi Makinde is the man who has been chosen to turn Nigeria around.
In fact, I had a good laugh after watching the video of the fellow. Perhaps, it is people like that Pastor who have been pushing Governor Makinde all these while.
I think the only option open for the Governor is to look for one of the mushroom political parties and join them so that he would have a platform to promote his candidate for ‘ Omi Tuntun’ 3.0 and if he is really interested in slugging it out with Tinubu in 2027, he could begin mobilization from now.
Courtesy of Governor Seyi Makinde, the PDP will not be on the ballot in Ekiti and Osun States. Except he is prepared to humble himself and ignore banters, he won’t have the opportunity to present his anointed candidate on the platform of the PDP.
In his bid to retire some politicians and take total control of the PDP structures, he has lost everything. Oh! I forsee very troubling times ahead.
Those who have been bragging that they have retired some politicians and that they would still retire many more are doomed for premature political retirement and they won’t enjoy the retirement.
For those who still think Governor Makinde has a way out of his present predicaments, I wish them luck. Meanwhile, 2027 is around the corner. The bitter truth is that Governor Makinde has lost the battle.
The Ship is wrecked.
Sola Abegunde.
