There appeared to be no letup in the row between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Senator representing Ogun East in the National Assembly, Buruji Kashamu, over the expulsion of the later by the PDP National leadership as Kashamu on Monday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Department of State Services (DSS) and Police to disregard his expulsion notice to them from PDP.
Kashamu, who in a counter – correspondence to the correspondence of the PDP national leadership to the three agencies, insisted that his expulsion is a stillbirth and cannot stand the test of the law.
The Senator’s position was contained in a letter dated August 6 and addressed to the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus and copied to the INEC Chairman, Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ogun State, Commissioner of Police and State Director of DSS, among others.
The PDP National Legal Adviser, Emmanuel Enoidem, had on August 1 written INEC and security agencies of the PDP’s recent decision to expel Kashamu, Bayo Dayo, Semiu Sodipo and Segun Seriki – all of Ogun State chapter of PDP, over alleged anti-party activities.
Kashamu who is a major financier of the state chapter of PDP since 2011, dismissed the correspondences as one borne out of ignorance, most ridiculous, deceitful and criminally contemptuous as the National Legal Adviser of PDP acted outside his jurisdiction as stipulated in Article 42 of the Party’s Constitution.
He said only the national chairman and the national secretary that have powers to issue such correspondences as stipulated in Articles 35 and 36 of the party’s constitution, adding that there were also pending litigations in which the courts restrained the party from taking any disciplinary action against him and others.
“Thus, I respectfully urge you to discountenance the fake letter, as it is not worth more than the piece of paper on which it was written.
“Secondly, the National Executive Committee (NEC) could not have validly expelled me and others when there are subsisting judgments and orders of court forbidding them from taking any disciplinary action against me and the others.
“If they had taught through their ill-advised step, they would have realized that it offends the provision of Article 57 (6) of the PDP Constitution.
“It should be clear to all law-abiding citizens and institutions that the purported expulsion, in spite of subsisting orders and judgments of the court, is a still birth which cannot see the light of the day. It is an act of illegality that cannot stand the test of the law.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I and the others remain valid, card-carrying and financial members of the PDP. Nobody can take away our rights and privileges because the courts had forbidden the party from doing so before it purportedly moved against us.
“We will continue to operate within the law as PDP members, senator and State Exco members.
“Finally, I wish to inform you that I have written letters to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Police and the State Security Service (SSS) urging them to disregard the valueless and incompetent letter written in defiance of several subsisting court judgments and orders, and continue to relate with us as the authentic and legally recognized leaders and members of the party,” Kashamu said.