BY DAYO JOHNSON
AKURE-THE crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ondo State has worsened as the party and Minister of Defence, Prince Tokunbo Kayode, SAN, have been trading words over the purported suspension of the minister for anti party activities
While the party insisted that the minister stood suspended, but the Minister dismissed his reported suspension as a ruse and declared that the state PDP lacked the constitutional power to suspend him.
The party leadership in the state led by its Chairman, Dr Tayo Dairo had in a letter dated April 29 addressed to the Acting National Chairman of the party, Dr Haliru Mohammed, alleged that the minister connived with the Labour Party, LP, administration in the state to deny it victory in the last elections.
The party attributed its woeful performance to the refusal of the minister to deploy soldiers and other security agencies to help the party win the last elections in the state, arguing that he betrayed the trust of the party by allegedly working with the LP.
But the minister in a swift reaction to his purported suspension, said his alleged suspension by “a tiny but ineffectual cabal in Ondo State PDP is a pathetic ruse, illegal, unconstitutional null and void and of no effect.
Kayode speaking through his Special Adviser, Dr Banji Ajaka, said the action allegedly taken by the state PDP was against the content and spirit of the constitution of the party.
According to him, “there has never been a time that he was called upon by the party to explain any of his actions both at his private or official capacity. No regrets for supporting the President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to conduct a free and fair election in 2011 as he had no apologies for delivering Ondo State for Goodluck at the Presidential elections.
The soldiers that were deployed for the election were not meant to intervene in the election but to maintain peace and ensure that the elections were held across the country without rancour. This new distraction was a calculated attempt by some dead woods in the party to further polarize it instead of joining hands with him in his efforts at building a strong party for future elections.”
He, however, said he would not be distracted from his desire to help build a formidable PDP in Ondo State.
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