My suspension a ruse-Oni

From Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti
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The former Governor of Ekiti State and a one time Deputy National Chairman (South) of the All Progressives  Congress (APC) Chief Segun Oni, has described his purported suspension from the party as a ruse that will not see the light of the day.

Oni, who said he was not sure of the said suspension, said: “I am not sure. There is a structure in the party. There is a way things are done in the party.

The former Governor who spoke in Ado-Ekiti while reacting to his suspension said his failure to heed the invitation of APC Ifaki Ward as conveyed in a letter dated April 24, queried the people behind the said invitation.

The APC Ekiti state chapter had on Wednesday slammed the former Governor suspension from the party over allegation they tagged as anti party activities.

The party had in a letter dated 1st May, 2019 and addressed to Oni by the party, a copy of which was made available to journalists in Ado-Ekiti, the APC said it took the action over failure of  Segun Oni to appear before the ward executive to clear the allegations.

The letter was signed by the Chairman and Secretary of Ifaki ward II, Shina Akinloye and Ogunyemi Taiwo , respectively and 24 other executive members in the ward.

The APC executive in Ido /Osi local government through its Assistant Financial Secretary and Assistant Organising Secretary, Messrs A. Suleiman and Olanrewaju Olamope, signed respectively .

The letter titled: ‘Suspension From All Progressives Congress Ward II, Ifaki Ekiti’ reads: ” Subject to Article 21 Subsections I, II and X of the APC constitution 2014 as amended, we undersigned executive members of the APC hereby suspend you indefinitely from our great party, based on your refusal to honour our invitation for investigation and fact finding into the allegation of anti party activities leveled against your person by the members of our party.

The party , had in a letter dated 24th April,2019 and signed by the ward executive invited Oni to appear before a panel.

The letter of invitation was received on Oni’s behalf by one Segun Adetunji on 25th April, 2019.

Oni had gone to court after the May 26, 2018 APC governorship primary to challenge Governor Kayode Fayemi’s eligibility to participate in the election.

Oni said going by the constitution of the party, Fayemi , being a Minister in the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari ought to resign 30 days to the primary.

Fayemi resigned in June, 2018 after the primary had been held.

He later won the July 14 governorship election, by defeating the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Prof Kolapo Olusola.

But the supreme court in its judgement dismissed Oni’s suit for lack of merit, saying Fayemi didn’t breach the law by resigning after the primary

Though, Fayemi in his reaction to the court verdict spread olive branch to Oni, with a promise to work with him to move the party forward.

But some party members were said to have insisted that Oni needed to be punished for disrespecting the party , by declining the Senatorial ticket and went to court to upturn Fayemi’s victory.