Ojudu Frowns at Divisive Politics in Ekiti APC

Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, has reacted to the recent suspension of the APC Caretaker Chairman of Ado Ekiti Ward 8, Afolabi Olaife Clement, describing the development as an assault on freedom of association as stipulated in the country’s constitution. Clement, who’s believed to have been in the black book of the leadership of the party since last year for rejecting being used to suspend Ojudu, was finally edged out at the weekend over a trumped-up allegation of identifying with the South West Agenda for 2023, (SWAGA), a political pressure group supporting the emergence of APC Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a presidential choice for the zone in the 2023 elections.

Ojudu insisted the treatment meted to Clement was unjust and unacceptable and that it was an assault on freedom of association as stipulated in the country’s constitution.

“How could you sanction a party man for identifying with the ambition of a member of his party? This fellow is a member of our party and he chose to go with Tinubu. What is wrong with that? What intolerance? This is a dictatorship and not a democracy. We shall assist this individual to fight this assault on his right to the highest court in the land. I am shocked that this is happening under the watch of Dr Kayode Fayemi. He should realize that though he is in power today he will not be there tomorrow. I am really peeved. You are sacking a guy for identifying with Tinubu? It is a shock and I just couldn’t understand while you and our party in the state should go this low” Ojudu lamented.

Meanwhile, in another development, 18 of the executive members in the ward have passed a vote of confidence in Hon. Clement pointing out that that the tormented ward chairman is only being victimized on frivolous issues.

Rising from a meeting on 27th April 2021, to review the allegation leveled against Clement, the executive members ruled that the various allegations against him were frivolous and born out of hatred and envy.

According to the minutes of the meeting obtained by the AbujaCityJournal, the leaders stated that the allegation that Clement factionalised the exco, was not true, arguing that a state exco member, Mrs. Funke Oluwadare, and two aides of the deputy governor; Tokunbo Adeparusi, Special Assistant on Politics to the deputy governor and Wale Falade, Special Assistant to the deputy governor, are to be blamed for the division in the ward and not Clement.

The minutes further pointed out how the aforementioned aides of the deputy governor conspired with six ward exco and some party members to hold a meeting on 14th April 2021, at one Mr. Adebiyi house at Ogbon Oba. They also dismissed the allegation that the ousted chairman failed to call the ward meeting arguing that the ward was the first to hold a meeting in 2021 at the instance of the chairman.

To this end, they dismissed the allegation and gave Afolabi a clean slate.