We won’t allow miscreants take over SDP in Osun, says Chairman
The Osun State Chairman of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Ademola Ishola has vowed that genuine members of the party will not fold their arms and allow those he regarded as miscreants to take over the party in the state.
He re-affirmed that whatever congress anyone has held in the name of SDP in Osun State was illegal and an affront to the court, while hoping that the judiciary will firmly hold on to the rule of law.
Ishola in a statement issued in Osogbo on Monday, July 2, 2018 also described his purported suspension and that of the party secretary in the state, Elder Femi Awe as a joke and an insincere manipulation by desperate politicians, saying the procedures for removing top officers of the party were clearly stated in the SDP constitution.
According to him, “I and the secretary are fully operating in our respective offices. There is no correspondence of any expulsion of myself or the secretary.
He urged the public to be wary of some element circulating fake documents around. “You will recall that I held a press conference last Wednesday and before a tinkle of an eye, these unscrupulous elements came out with a fake counter-statement purportedly signed by me”
He explained futher, “First of all, four of members including the Chairman of SDP Chairmen in the local government, Mr. Rasheed Mayowa approached the State High Court, sitting in Ikirun for an Interim Court Order stopping the party or some people purporting to represent the party National Executive from going ahead with any congress.
“The high court judge sitting in Ikirun granted the Interim order and the order was served on INEC, Chief Iyiola Omisore, Mr. Taiwo Akeju and SDP National Secretary, Mr. Emeka Atuna.
“As I have said earlier, the above mentioned names were aware of the Court Order. Barrister Kehinde Adesiyan represented SDP in court on Friday, the 29th of June 2018 and he was provided with a copy of the Court Order. He argued against the application in open court, but his argument was thrown out court by the judge.
“Barrister Adeyemi Adetise represented Omisore in court. But his submission for dismissal of our application was also rejected by the Judge. He was also provided a copy of the Court Order on behalf of Omisore.
“The Court also directed that the Order should also be served by the court bailiff immediately on INEC through INEC office premises in Osogbo and by pasting the said Order on the outer walls of the INEC office premises in Osogbo and by pasting the said Order Omisore on the outer walls of Omisore’s Campaign Office premises in Osogbo.
“In relation to the party Secretary, Elder Femi Awe and myself suspension from the party, I am not aware of it. I have not received any correspondence from the party to date and I am not aware of the party secretary’s expulsion from the party to date.
“In any event, the party National Secretary cannot suspend me as I am duly elected to my position as the Chairman of the State. There is a procedure for expelling a party chairman or secretary in our constitution and to date the procedure is yet to be followed. The party constitution is supreme and must be adhered to accordingly and strictly.
“We like to state that the Commissioner of Police in the state be aware of the assault on our members perpetrated by Omisore group. Omisore is not a party member in our state and he should stop this intimidations and assault. We cannot be intimidated. We suffer a lot for this party and cannot surrender the party which we have built to some miscreants”, he stated.
Ishola disclosed that SDP secretariat has been occupied by “These hoodlums and thugs and we urge the court and the police to come to our aid”.
