The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in
Ondo State over the removal of the state chairman, Mr. Isaac Kekemeke has taken
another turn as local government party Chairmen has thrown their weight behind
the action of the state Executive committee (SEC).
The SEC had passed a vote of no confidence on Kekemeke over what it described
as negligence of duty.
The SEC appointed Engr. Ade Adetimehin as the acting
Chairman of the party and also set up a three-man fact finding committee to
investigate the sacked Chairman.
Besides, the committee led by the Publicity Secretary of the
party, Omo’ba Abayomi Adesanya said it had invited the chairman to appear
before it on Friday.
Addressing a press conference at the party secretariat,
Secretary of the fact finding committee, Saka Yusuf Ogunleye accused the
embattled chairman of beating up the party clerk who was meant to deliver a
letter to him.
Meanwhile, the embattled Chairman, Kekemeke has petitioned
the State Commissioner of Police, Hilda Harrison, over the alleged invasion of
the party secretariat.
Kekemeke in the petition addressed to the Police
Commissioner specifically alleged that three members of the party in the state
of forcefully took over the Secretariat, chasing out the staff of the
Secretariat.
He listed the three members to include the Party’s Publicity
Secretary, Abayomi Adesanya, Saka Yusuff Ogunleye and Rasheed Badmus.
Kekemeke described the invasion into the party secretariat
by the trio and some other thugs as criminal, illegal and unlawful, urging the
security operatives in the state to investigate the incident.
The petition made available to DAILY POST read: “that I wish
to bring to your notice that certain persons namely: Abayomi Adesanya, Saka
Yusuff Ogunleye and Rasheed Badmus invaded the party Secretariat in company of
one policemen and some thugs.
“They invited the Secretariat staff headed by the
administrative Secretary and forcefully disposed him of the keys to the party
secretariat a d chased the staff out of office, locked it up and took the keys
away
“This is patently unlawful, criminal and illegal as the
state secretary of our Party is the constitutionally empowered custodian of the
Party secretariat.”
Kekemeke said the petition became imperative because of the
antecedents of the three party members involved in the invasion of the party
office.
He said “I have reasons to fear that these persons want to
loot the office, particularly the computer sets, generating sets, motorcycles
and other valuables items in the party.
“To remove and alter documents particularly those indicting
Saka Yusuff Ogunleye and Ade Adetimehin as working for the PDP and SDP
respectively during the National Assembly election.”
However, the State Publicity Secretary, Adesanya said there
was no iota of truth in Kekemeke’s allegation, insisting that said the
embattled chairman was “crying wolf where there was none and that he was
raising a false alarm.”
He said the state Executive of the Party had empowered his
committee to investigate Kekemeke and that it would be better for the chairman
to appear before the party rather than hiding.
He said “this is a family affair and we are not out to
crucify Kekemeke but he should come forward to explain his side of the story
and I am assuring him that the committee will not be partial but will be fair
to him.”
By Temitope Olanipekun
