The Senator representing Ogun East district at the National Assembly, Senator Buruji Kashamu, has said the suspension announcement about his is only a comic relief.
He added that nobody can take such action against him.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State announced on Friday that it had suspended Senator Buruji Kashamu for allegedly participating in anti-party activities.
This was disclosed via a statement released by Ogun PDP Chairman, Sikirulai Olawale Ogundele and secretary, Olabode Bankole.
“The Panel on several occasions invited some of the above named who were implicated in the misapplication and outright diversion of party funds to defend and acquit themselves of those allegations but they refused to honour the invitation,” the statement had noted.
“Based on the preliminary report of the Panel however, submitted to the Executive committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ogun State Chapter, we found merit in the allegations and hereby adopt the report and findings of the Panel which include recommendation to suspend the above mentioned.
“In the exercise of the powers vested on the State Executive committee in accordance with the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party the above name are hereby suspended from the Ogun State Chapter of the PDP with immediate effect; their names have also been forwarded to the national secretariat of the party for necessary further appropriate disciplinary actions.”
However, media adviser to Kashamu, Mr. Austin Oniyokor, said it was preposterous that an impostor like Ogundele, who is standing trial for theft and burglary before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Abeokuta, could claim to have suspended well-meaning elders and leaders of the party.
“The purported suspension of a senator and others who are members of the National Executive Committee by some impostors is at best a comic-relief of no consequence whatsoever,”he said.
“Ogundele and his co-travellers are better known for their duplicitous flirtations which borders on the politics of bread and butter.
“They are a hungry lot who are only loyal to their stomach. Today, they are in talks with the All Progressives Congress. Tomorrow, they are in talks with the Alliance for Democracy. Only God knows where they will go the day after.”
Oniyokor added that the purported action shows that Ogundele and his backers are either strangers in the party or ignorant of the party’s Constitution, or both.
“Otherwise, they would have known that section 57 Sub-section 7 of the constitution of PDP states, ‘Notwithstanding any other provision relating to discipline, no Executive Committee at any level, except the National Executive Committee, shall entertain any question of discipline as may relate or concern a member of the National Executive Committee, deputy governors or members of the National Assembly,” he said.
“The alleged diversion of party funds is most laughable because it is common knowledge that I use my personal funds to keep the party float even when people like ex-Governor Gbenga Daniel and Ladi Adebutu left the PDP for Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) and then for the Labour Party (LP) until they returned to PDP in the build up to the 2015 general election because of campaign funds.
“It is on record that Daniel superintended over the 2015 campaign funds in Ogun State. So, which other funds could a party in opposition possibly have?”
The senator appealed to members of the party to remain calm and law-abiding knowing full well that the national leadership crisis has no effect on the Makanjuola Ogundipe-led Zonal Working Committee and the Adebayo Dayo-led state Executive Committee of the party.
“The Zonal and State Exco are intact. They had been recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and affirmed by the courts before the national leadership crisis broke out.”
