The Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, has opposed the removal of his Ado Ward 8 Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Clement Afolabi.
Ojudu, who described Afolabi’s removal as illegal and unacceptable, said such was an assault on the right to freedom of association as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The party in Ado Local Government last week summoned the ward chairman to appear before a disciplinary committee set up to investigate allegation of anti-party activities levelled against him.
Afolabi was accused of blackmailing the Governor Kayode Fayemi administration and declaring himself as the coordinator of an unauthorised group within the party.
Speaking with reporters in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, Ojudu wondered why the party would remove its ward chairman for identifying with the South West Agenda (SWAGA), a group within the APC mobilising support for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He said Afolabi has not committed any infraction within the confine of the party legal framework, describing the action “as an act of dictatorship in a democracy.”
Ojudu said efforts are on to file a litigation to challenge the removal of the ward chairman, cautioning Fayemi not to allow transient power to intoxicate him.
He said: “How can 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. Fayemi. He should realise that although 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 why you and our party in the state should go this low.”
