The embattled Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun state, Bayo Dayo has accused former senator representing Ogun East senatorial district, Buruji Kashamu, of attempting to bribe him with N10m to compromise the party congresses held in the state.
Dayo alleged that Kashamu’s loyalists allegedly brought N10M to him in his residence on Sunday, asking him to withdraw a letter he wrote to the party’s lawyer asking him to stop representing the party in court.
Dayo was suspended by the party in the state for alleged anti-party activities.
While reacting to his suspension by some members of the executive of the party in the state, he remains the party chairman because he could only be punished by the National Executive Committee of the party.
He said he rejected the money offered him by Kashamu to compromise the Party Congresses.
He said,
“They (Kashamu group) came to my house day before yesterday with N10 million , they told me to take the money in order to sign their papers.
“The paper is to withdraw the letter I wrote to the lawyer. I was also asked to write a letter to INEC telling them we have concluded the congresses of the state.
“How can we conclude the congresses of the state in this lockdown, how can that be done?
“I resist, I said I have written a letter to the lawyer that I do not need his services anymore because we are going to unite ourselves and I cannot sign the other letter telling INEC that we have concluded.”
While reacting to the alleged demand for N40m from Kashamu, Dayo said:
“I never asked them for money, they are the one that brought money to me, but I rejected.”
Dayo, however, said his suspension does not have any constitutional backing.
He noted that it is only the National Executive Committee that could suspend him.
He insisted that he remains the chairman of the party until the state congress is held.
The PDP chairman further said the Kashamu’s group is frustrating the negotiation currently going on between the two factions in the state.
He maintained that he would ensure the party is united before he handed over.
He added that he is trying to unite the party so that the position can be shared among them.
He said,
“I am a member of the NEC, nobody not even the state executive, not the zonal executive, not the National Working Committee, but the NEC alone.
The NWC cannot suspend me from office talkless of some people who are not members of the state executive committee.
“I am still the state chairman, they are just deceiving themselves. The side of the case is that I am making a move to reconcile with the other group in our party in Ogun state so that the party can move forward.
“Some people are not interested in that, we have had enough since 2019. 2011, we know the result of our not coming together, in 2015, the same thing happened, in 2019, the same thing occurred. Now, I want to leave office, I would have left office on the 7 if not for the lockdown, that is the case of our state congress. But, now I want to see that there is unity in the party before I leave office, that is what I am trying to do.
“Our leader, Prince Buruji Kashamu is not happy about it and that is why they are taking all these steps. But, I don’t mind, unity will be sustained before I leave office.
“We have been speaking with the other group that belonged to Ladi Adebutu. We have been discussing about how we can come together.
“I don’t want to be a victim of any court issue. It would be a contempt of court if I am found guilty of making all those congresses when the court say we shouldn’t do anything and the lawyer said I should go and do it. But I forsee problem coming, so, I wrote a letter to the lawyer telling him not to represent us again.
“I have acting secretary, you know Semiu Sodipo has been the secretary without any doubt. The beneficiaries of the judgment is Semiu and myself.”
But Reacting to the allegation by Dayo, Kashamu in a release he signed described Dayo as a betrayal.
Kashamu claimed he had video evidence where Dayo held a meeting with the leader of a faction of the party, Oladipupo Adebutu.
On the allegation that he was against reconciliation, Kashamu said he was not against reconciliation with any aggrieved member of the party as alleged by Dayo.
He said
“We have the evidence of the meeting at Equity Hotel, Ijebu Ode, where Dayo collected money to sell the Ogun State structures of the PDP to Kessington Adebutu.
” What the Adebutus should realize is that they have been scammed, as Dayo has no power to transfer the structures of the Party to anyone.
“This illegal transaction shows the low mentality of Dayo. Otherwise, how can anyone think that he can sell a political structure comprising many interests, major stakeholders for a mere 100 million naira?
“No one is against the reconciliation of any aggrieved members but the question members of the Party continue to ask is: how Dayo could claim that he was trying to reconcile anyone when he did not have any meeting with any stakeholder or any of the Party Executive Committees at LGA or ward level and carried nobody in the State Executive Committee along before signing his contract with the Adebutus. “
On the allegation of bribery, Kashamu denies the allegation, saying, he did not need to offer Dayo any bribe to sign any document.
According to Kashamu, Bayo Dayo never personally paid any fees to the law firm that sustained him through the various litigations during those years and now two weeks before the expiration of his tenure he no longer wants the law firm.
“Having sustained him in office as Chairman for eight years, I did not need to bribe him with any amount to sign any document; his claim of being offered N10 million is meant to hype himself before his new paymasters.”
