The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has suspended indefinitely Mr. Babafemi Ojudu, who is the political adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, and 10 other chieftains of the party.
They were suspended for allegedly disobeying the party’s directive and failure to withdraw cases instituted against the party in court.
Others suspended alongside Ojudu are Oyetunde Ojo (Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s in-law), Wole Oluyede, Ayo Ajibade, Femi Adeleye, Akin Akomolafe, Bamigboye Adegoroye, Olusoga Owoeye, Dele Afolabi, Toyin Oluwasola and Bunmi Ogunleye.
According to a statement by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Ade Ajayi, “the suspension is based on the recommendation of the investigative/disciplinary committee inaugurated by the SEC to investigate the disobedience of certain party members to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of 25th of June 2020, which directed members of the party not to institute any court action and to withdraw existing cases in court.”
But Ojudu insisted on Thursday that they remain members of the APC.
“We are progressives and we will forever be progressives. Those who claimed to have suspended us are the illegal people. We are challenging the position they are holding in court and they have no right to even be in the position let alone suspend members.”
He accused the governor of the state, Kayode Fayemi, of being the brain behind the suspension.
“We can’t be like the governor who is an APC member on paper and PDP in heart. He supported Obaseki and wants to destroy our party. We won’t allow that.”
Fayemi has refused to comment on the allegation that he supported Governor Godwin Obaseki of the PDP against the APC candidate in Edo, Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
Obaseki eventually won last Saturday’s governorship election in the State.
The APC in Ekiti State has been on for several months.
Last week, the party summoned Ojudu and others to appear before a panel over the same allegations for which they have now been suspended.
Ojudu and the others, however, refused to appear before the panel, saying, among others, that those that constituted the panel had no powers to do so as their appointments were already being challenged in court.
Following the summons, the aggrieved members accused Fayemi of planning to expel them from the APC.