The Ekiti Local Government Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kwara State, Wale Awelewa, has been suspended indefinitely.
He was reportedly suspended by his Epe-Opin ward in the local government area of the state on Saturday.
Rising from the ward meeting held at Epe-Opin at the weekend, the party passed a vote of no confidence on Awelewa on allegations of misappropriation and diversion of funds belonging to the ward into his private pocket, attempt to frustrate ward meeting, deliberate attempt to disobey the party directive on zoning and rotation of elective positions and incompetence among others.
No fewer than 20 out of 27 members of the ward executive of the party and some stakeholders appended their signatures on a statement issued for the suspension of Awelewa.
They warned that if the gross ineptitude, partiality and utmost incompetence that Awelewa had exhibited was not checked and stopped, it could adversely affect the chance of APC in the forthcoming general elections.
The APC ward executive also noted that the act of misconduct of the local government party Chairman was capable of bringing into disrepute the selfless sacrifice of leaders of the party including Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, state leadership of the party and other stakeholders.
They alleged that Awelewa had been compromised with his disposition to a particular aspirant over and above others ahead of the primary election of the party instead of him to remain neutral and impartial as expected of a party leader.
The APC in Opin Ward specifically alleged that the embattled local government party Chairman stood against the directive of the state APC Chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, at the meeting held in Opin Ward with his endorsement of the incumbent member representing Ekiti Constituency in the state House of Assembly, Mr Ganiyu Abolarin Gabriel, to seek re-election.
They said the endorsement of the lawmaker by Awelewa and some of his loyal stakeholders was at variance with the principle of zoning and rotation of elective positions aimed at fostering equity, fairness and justice in Ekiti Local Government Area.
“We have observed with utmost dismay how the APC Chairman of Ekiti Local Government Area Kwara State, Hon. Wale Awelewa, has been piloting the affairs of the party with gross ineptitude, partiality and utmost incompetence, which if not checked and immediately stopped, would ultimately and indeed adversely affect the chance of APC at the forthcoming general elections.
“It would bring to disrepute the selfless effort/sacrifice of our eminent party leaders from the Kwara State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, APC State Chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi and other leaders in the state”, the Opin Ward APC said in part in the statement.
Reacting to the development, Awelewa dismissed the allegations saying he remains the party chairman of the local government area.
He described those behind what he called kangaroo suspension as impostors who do not represent the executives of the APC in the Epe-Opin ward.
“I have not committed any crime to warrant my suspension as the chairman or member of the APC.
“Those people are on their own, it is a kangaroo thing. The people who allegedly appended their signatures on the statement suspending me are not executive members of Opin Ward of the APC,” he said.