Ekiti PDP crisis deepens, as party suspends Aluko, others

BY WOLE BALOGUN, ADO EKITI

The crisis rocking the Ekiti State chapter of the Peo­ples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened yesterday with the sus­pension of five members of the State Working Committee and the set­ting up of a seven-man Disciplinary Committee to probe allegation of an­ti-party activities levelled against them.

The affected persons are Tunde Olatunde, who un­til he was made the Acting state chairman by a fac­tion, was the vice-chairman (North) and Tope Aluko, the state secretary.

Others are Mrs. Busola Oyebode (Women Leader), Tunji Olanrewaju (State Auditor) and Femi Esan (Assistant Secretary).

At the end of a State Ex­ecutive Committee meet­ing held at the party’s State Secretariat, Ado-Ekiti, the Publicity Secretary, Jackson Adebayo, said the decision was in line with the provi­sions of the party’s constitu­tion and directives from the National Working Commit­tee of the party on the need to maintain discipline in the party.

Adebayo said the seven-man committee would be headed by the Legal Ad­viser of the party, Kolapo Kolade.

Other members are Babade Ige, Hon. Anima­saun Bamidele, Mrs. Lanre Fajuyi, Smart Adebusuyi, Hon. Dele Ajibola and Mr. Kola Lawal.

Adebayo added that the affected officers had earlier been suspended at the ward level and that their ward chairmen had written the SWC on the development.

“It was on the strength of the letters conveying the resolutions of party mem­bers in all the wards of the affected officers that the SWC acted and conveyed a meeting of SEC.

However, Aluko and Olanrewaju addressed a press briefing, where they faulted the decision by the SWC led by Chief Idowu Faleye.

Aluko, who spoke on be­half of the aggrieved SWC members, said Faleye did not have the required num­ber of SWC members to suspend them.