Sheriff Balogun in Abeokuta
Following the alleged suspension of the Ogun State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Bayo Dayo, by nine executive members, Dayo, on Tuesday declared that the state executive of the party remained intact.
In a statement issued in Abeokuta, he stated that “the attention of the Ogun PDP has been drawn to the action of some former and suspended members of the party in which they said my humble self and the State Secretary have been purportedly suspended.
According to him, ordinarily, we would not have joined issues with these characters but for the fact that lies told severally without a rebuttal will naturally put up the garb of truth.
He continued: “I have decided for the sake of the unsuspecting members of our great party and the general public to put a lie to the misinformation from the impostors and set the record straight as follows:
“While it is true that some of the renegades were elected with me and the Secretary, Alhaji Semiu Sodipo, as members of the State Working Committee during the 2012 Congresses of our Party held in Abeokuta, a good number of them are mere busy-bodies and impostors.
“It is common knowledge that while some of them had either been suspended or expelled between 2012 and 2015 for various offences, ranging from anti-party activities to misappropriation of party/campaign funds; others have since defected to either the APC or SDP as clearly attested to by their operations and activities, during the last electioneering process; records are available and will be provided at the appropriate time.
“ As a party that operates within the ambit of law and guided by the letters of our Constitution, I can confirm it authoritatively that they have all been replaced by other deserving, committed and loyal party men and women from their constituencies/zones.
”Their replacements are as follows: Alhaji Alli Ajibode replaced Elder Sola Soledolu as deputy chairman; Asiwaju Ademola Adesina is now the State vice-chairman (Central), while Hon. Boye Adeshina is the state vice-chairman (West).
Other members of the exco include Hon. Koye Ijaduoye, State Organising Secretary; Mr. Muyiwa Ojebiyi, State Youth Leader; Alhaja S.A. Akinola, State Woman Leader and Alh. Rahman Adedamola, the State Financial Secretary. Also, Hon. Gbenga Lekuti is the State Auditor and Barrister Shadrach Koleola is the State Legal Adviser.”
The state Chairman said he wondered where “these people derived their powers from. Can they give or take what never belonged to them?”
He added: “It is mischievous that most of these impostors were the same set of people that recently went to the courts in Abuja and Abeokuta, seeking court injunctions to sack the State Executive of our party, claiming that its tenure had elapsed.
So, does it sound logical that it is the same set of people that have again gone on air to proclaim a suspension of the purported expired state executive council? Can an “expired” exco be suspended?
”As the father of all, I am not angry with them but rather, I am pleading with them to eat the humble pie to read Section 8.8(a) & (b) of our party constitution and do the needful before it is too late as they can also feel the pulse of peace and reconciliation that is hovering over our party in the last few days.
“My last line is an appeal to our party faithful state-wide, in the spirit of the ongoing peace and reconciliations within our party to take these personalities as the biblical prodigal sons to embrace and re-integrate them fully into party activities once they do the needful.”
