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Justifying the suspension of Baraje, Oyinlola, Jaja and Kazaure, Metuh said the briefing became necessary given the reports, comments and statements arising from the NWC’s action. He said the constitution of the party expressly empowers the NWC to act on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC), adding that the allegation of lack of fair hearing by the suspended members is “premature” until they face the party’s Disciplinary Committee.
“It is trite law that as a member of the National Executive Committee of which Alhaji Kawu Baraje is, as a member of the Board of Trustees having been a national chairman automatically is a member of the Board of Trustees. Oyinlola, having been national secretary is a member of Board of Trustees. Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, having been a deputy national chairman is automatically a member of BoT. So only the NEC in our constitution can discipline or entertain matters pertaining to discipline of those people. However, he said, that is not the true position of the law.
“The constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party in Section 57 (3) expressly empowers the Working Committee at any level to suspend any member of the party and refer the matter to the Disciplinary Committee,” he said.
He added that what happened to the four members had happened before in 2010 when Baraje was the acting national chairman of the party where he took similar action of suspending former Senate president Ken Nnamani and others when they spearheaded the PDP Reform Group. He also said the most recent similar incident was in 2012 when Oyinlola was the national secretary and Jaja was the deputy national vice chairman, where they were part of the NWC that endorsed the suspension of a former zonal vice chairman of the party in the north-east, Girgi Lawal.
Metuh also denied knowledge of any attempted service of court order by Oyinlola’s counsel on the party at its national secretariat.
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