The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) took members of its splinter group, going by the name of new PDP by surprise when in a very bold move announced the suspension of the court reinstated National Secretary of the party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, factional chairman, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, Sam Sam Jaja Nd Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure. From the party.

The quartet are key members of the NPDP who have been leading the agitation for the removal of the Alhaji Bamaga Tukur-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP. It was an action that could easily be interpreted as a killer-punch, which also signals that fate that awaits other members of the splinter group including the G7 governors, irrespective of the outcome of any peaceful negotiation.

Olisah Metuh, the National Publicity Secretary of PDP announced the suspension of the four, over allegations that they have been engaging in anti-party activities in a communiqué he read after a meeting of the party National Working Committee on Monday.

The suspension, Metuh said, is for breach on Sections 58(1) (B) (G) (H) and (I) of PDP constitution, which according to him provides; that anyone who does or say anything likely to bring the party into disrepute, hatred or contempt has committed a disciplinary offence.

“Anyone who engages in disorderly conduct at meetings or rallies at any party functions including walk outs at conventions is guilty for an offence against our constitution,” said Metuh who also accused the suspended members of the party of “identity theft.”

Metuh added that “anyone who engages in unauthorized publicity of disputes within the party or creates a parallel party organ at any level is guilty of an offence against the constitution of the party.”

The PDP Spokesperson then threw the killer punch, which though has been predicted , declaring that the suspended members have been asked also to report to the party’s disciplinary committee while other members have been advised not to engage in any form of anti-party activities with them.

The suspension came on a day, Oyinlola was expected to resume as the PDP National Secretary courtesy of an Abuja Appeal Court ruling last week Thursday, which ordered that he be recognized as the authentic national secretary of the party.

It could be recalled that before the Monday’s decision, the Tukur-led PDP had secured a court judgment, which declared the Baraje-led faction of the party an illegal entity.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Metuh, had at that time urged the security services to treat any member of the faction parading himself/ herself as a parallel official of the party as a criminal.

The declaration was before the Appeal Court judgment in a suit filed by Oyinlola challenging his ouster as the party’s National Secretary.

Apparently emboldened by the court victory, the nPDP continued to function as a faction of the PDP.

Six out of the seven aggrieved PDP governors and leadership of the outlawed group met in Abuja last Sunday night to deliberate on the Oyinlola’s victory which they considered as a collective victory and chart a new way forward for their struggle.

One of the decisions reached after more than five hours of deliberations was a call for the immediate implementation of the court judgment reinstating Oyinlola. Reports even claimed that members of the splinter group had threatened that they would storm the Wadata Plaza headquarters of PDP to force the reinstatement of Oyinlola. They were further strengthened by the reported pronouncement of President Goodluck Jonathan, wherein he ordered that Oyinlola be allowed to resume, but little did  realist that they will be in for a fresh battle, which could culminate in all the members of the group being expelled by the mainstream PDP.