By Rotimi Ojomoyela
The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has suspended the Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President, Senator Babafemi Ojudu and ten other top-notches of the party.
Ojudu and other members were slammed with indefinite suspension over alleged disobedience action, which was as a result of their refusal to withdraw the case they instituted against the party as directed by the National Executive Council of the party.
The NEC had in its meeting of June 25, 2020, and attended by President Muhammadu Buhari, governors and stalwart directed that all cases pending in courts should be withdrawn for speedy resolution of internal crises in the party.
In a statement signed by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Ade Ajayi, in Ado Ekiti, on Thursday, said the disciplinary action was taken against Ojudu and others, for defying NEC.
Others who were suspended alongside Ojudu include: Engr Ayo Ajibade, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo, Hon Femi Adeleye, Bunmi Ogunleye, Akin Akomolafe, Bamigboye Adegoroye, Wole Oluyede, Olusoga Owoeye, Dele Afolabi, and Toyin Oluwasola.
The statement read: “The State Executive Council of the Ekiti State chapter of APC has approved indefinite suspension of the following members with immediate effect from 23rd September 2020.
“The suspension is based on the recommendation of the investigative/disciplinary committee inaugurated by SEC to investigate the disobedience of certain members to the directive of NEC of 25th June 2020, where he directed members of the party not to institute any court action and to withdraw existing cases in courts.
“The decision of SEC has been communicated to the Caretaker/extraordinary convention planning committee of the party”.
Ojudu and his allies, who were opposed to Governor Kayode Fayemi, had instituted a case against the constitution of the State Working Committee chaired by Paul Omotoso.
Ojudu and his people alleged that the names of those occupying party positions from the ward to the State level were not duly constituted through a legal and recognisable congress in the state.
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Ojudu and others in a statement entitled: ‘Before our impending expulsion from APC’, by the group’s spokesperson, Prince Bamgboye Adegoroye, on Wednesday, said the party would crumble in Ekiti, if they are expelled as being allegedly hatched by Fayemi.
“We are therefore calling our national leadership to stop Dr Kayode Fayemi from killing our party in Ekiti. Things are bad enough now for the party in the state. Allowing him to carry out our expulsion will only spell doom for our beloved APC.
“Those to be tried and possibly expelled are former Senators, former members of House of Representatives, former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, a number of aspirants who contested against him and notable leaders of the party in the state”.
Adegoroye alleged that Fayemi decided to clip their wings because they exhibited bravery and stood up against poor governance and government of exclusion being experienced in Ekiti.
“We demanded of him the dissolution of the State Working Committee and product of illegality and institution of a legitimate executive in compliance with our party’s constitution. We intimated our party leaders of these concerns; the same problem which were present in his first term that led to our losing the state to PDP with ignominy in year 2014.
“Earlier, he had done the same thing to Chief Segun Oni. Oni served our party as Deputy National Chairman without blemish. Thinking that Oni may offer himself to be governor come 2022, he instigated his suspension and stampeded him out of the party.
” We, however, insist we shall under no circumstance leave the party to join another. We were members of the party from foundation and also members of ACN, a legacy party that joined with others to form APC. We were in the other progressive parties, AD, AC that existed before and transformed to the present party”.
Reacting Senator Ojudu said the only organ which has the authority of suspending a member is the Ward, describing the action of the state exco as illegal, ultra vires, null and void.
According to him, “Let it be said that the only organ of the party that can try and suspend a member is the Ward. What they have done is clearly illegal. I remain a member of APC and a committed one at that.I am not like them traitors who claim to be APC and go work for PDP in Oyo and Edo.
