Former Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Area in Ogun State, Tunde Oladunjoye, has dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Oladunjoye dumped the party after attending a meeting chaired by Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
The meeting, which held at the Government House, Abeokuta, witnessed the adoption of Hon. Abdulkabir Adekunle Akinlade as the consensus candidate of the APC.
But Oladunjoye, in a statement on Sunday, sad he moved the motion for the purported endorsement of Akinlade to save his life.
The statement titled “Purported endorsement of Hon. Abdulkadiri Adekunle Akinlade as Ogun State APC “Consensus Candidate” by Ogun East Senatorial District APC: I was threatened to move the funny motion”.
It read: “Myself and other leaders of Ogun East Senatorial District of APC invited to an emergency meeting at the Government House Oke Igbehin this (Saturday) morning for 10am.
“On getting there the Governor decided to have a meeting with the Senatorial District Executives. Since I was not a member of the Senatorial executives, I was outside waiting along with others.
“At a point, the Governor sent the Party Secretary, Hon. Dare Ogunde to call me in. I was surprised and as I got in I wondered why I was invited as I met the meeting rounding up to go to the underground hall of the Government House.
“When the issue of Ogun East having to endorse the “Yewa Consensus Candidate” was raised by the Senatorial Chairman, Alhaji Yakubu, I raised my hand to speak after few speakers have spoken.
“As I stood up to speak, and in the open, the State Party Chairman Chief Derin Adebiyi called me in the presence of everybody to come to the other side of the table where he sat with other leaders and whispered into my ears that I must praise the Governor and move motion of endorsement, else dire consequences await me.
“It was a threat I never expected and right there at the Government House, I had no choice than to do so-called endorsement under duress, as my life was under threat. As a trained journalist, I was taught of “safety first.”
“As I left the venue, I realized that I have to first secured my safety before making any clarification. Arriving at my new location now, I want the whole world to know that I NEVER made any intentional endorsement but was threatened to do so. This clarification became necessary to put the records straight.
“I challenge the party leaders and Governor Ibikunle Amosun to bring out the raw video of the meeting. Even when I said it was the Governor who called the meeting, Chief Derin shouted back at me and insisted openly that I should change it that it wasn’t the Governor that called the meeting.
“All these were on tape, even as the Commissioner for Information, Chief Dayo Adeleye, was ditching out orders that no one should take photographs or record video. In a situation like this, I consider safety first. The general public should kindly disregard any purported moving of “motion” by me. It was a set-up backed with the force of threat.
“I am also announcing my resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC), to face my professional calling fully as I have a second office address and cannot continue to endure with political shenanigans. The charade of a motion was witnessed by nothing less than 15 print, broadcast and online journalists, including State Correspondents of leading national dailies and I call on them all as witnesses.
“I thank the party and the Governor of Ogun State for the opportunity given to me to serve the state previously. Please join me and my family in your prayers”.
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