The Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Buruji Kashamu has said that he could not be suspended from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He spoke in response to a statement issued by one Sikirulai Ogundele who claimed to be the Chairman of the Ogun State chapter of the party that he and seven others had been suspended from the party.
In a statement issued on Friday in Lagos by his Media Adviser, Austin Oniyokor, Kashamu said it was preposterous that an impostor like Ogundele, who is standing trial for theft and burglary before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Abeokuta, could claim to have suspended well-meaning elders and leaders of the party.
“The purported suspension of a Senator and others who are members of the National Executive Committee by some impostors is at best a comic-relief of no consequence whatsoever. Ogundele and his co-travellers are better known for their duplicitous flirtations which borders on the politics of bread and butter.
” They are a hungry lot who are only loyal to their stomach. Today, they are in talks with the All Progressives Congress. Tomorrow, they are in talks with the Alliance for Democracy. Only God knows where they will go the day after.
“Besides, their purported action shows that Ogundele and his backers are either strangers in the party or ignorant of the party’s Constitution, or both. Otherwise, they would have known that Section 57 Sub-section 7 of the Constitution of PDP states,
‘Notwithstanding any other provision relating to discipline, no Executive Committee at any level, except the National Executive Committee, shall entertain any question of discipline as may relate or concern a member of the National Executive Committee, Deputy Governors or members of the National Assembly’.”
Kashamu added, “The alleged diversion of party funds is most laughable because it is common knowledge that I use my personal funds to keep the party float even when people like ex-Governor Gbenga Daniel and Ladi Adebutu left the PDP for Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) and then for the Labour Party (LP) until they returned to PDP in the build up to the 2015 general election because of campaign funds.
It is on record that Daniel superintended over the 2015 campaign funds in Ogun State. So, which other funds could a party in opposition possibly have?”
The senator appealed to members of the party to remain calm and law-abiding knowing full well that the national leadership crisis has no effect on the Makanjuola Ogundipe-led Zonal Working Committee and the Adebayo Dayo-led State Executive Committee of the party.
“The Zonal and State Exco are intact. They had been recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and affirmed by the courts before the national leadership crisis broke out.”
