For allegedly working against the aspiration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State culminating in their gubernatorial flag-bearer, Senator Teslim Folarin, occupying the unenviable fourth position in the election, the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Jumoke Akinjide, alongside a serving Senator, Ayoade Adeseun, and a former factional chairman of the party, Alhaji Kunmi Mustafa, have been suspended from the party for anti-party activities.

Also suspended was a PDP leader in Ogbomoso, Chief Saka Balogun, a former House of Representatives member, Dr. Maroof Akinwande and others believed to have either pitched tent with Rashidi Ladoja’s Accord Party or Labour Party’s Adebayo Alao-Akala in the state, during the April 11 election.

Their suspension yesterday was said to have been unilaterally authorised by the party’s leader in the state, Alhaji Yekini Adeojo.

For the first time since 1999, the PDP in the state performed woefully, save for a single House of Representatives seat won by Segun Odebunmi in Surule/Ogo-Oluwa constituency out of the 14 federal constituencies, the party did not win any seat in the senatorial districts and also lost the entire 32 House of Assembly seats to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)(18 seats), Accord’s eight and Labour Party’s six.

This is coming 24 hours to the zonal meeting of the PDP leaders in the South-west geopolitical zone scheduled to hold today in Ekiti, which was said to have been convened by the duo of Ekiti and Ondo States governors.

Other politicians affected by the decision include Alhaji Kunmi Mustapha from Iseyin Local Government Area and Hon. Moroof Akinwande from Oyo, with the party dissociating itself from them and urging the appropriate quarters not to recognise them or accord them respect due to the leaders of the PDP in Oyo State.

Adeojo, who confirmed the suspension of the erstwhile party members alleged further that they were suspended for their anti-party activities before and during the governorship election.

Adeojo pointedly alleged that Akinjide diverted all the resources meant for the PDP to support the Accord Party in the governorship election, just as she misled party loyalists to support Senator Ladoja’s governorship ambition.

Adeojo noted that while Adeseun and Balogun contrived to work against the PDP in Ogbomoso zone by supporting the Labour Party governorship candidate in the governorship elections, Mustapha betrayed the PDP by working for the APC in Iseyin Local Government Area.

“We urge the leaders of the party and members of the public in the South-west and at the national level, including the South-west chairman of the Presidential Contact and Mobilisation Committee, Chief Olabode George; the South-west PDP zonal executive, governors of Ekiti and Ondo states, Mr. Ayo Fayose and Dr. Olusegun Mimiko to be abreast of the development.

“It is a shame that these so-called leaders of the PDP sold out their conscience for personal aggrandisement and greed, despite their professed loyalty to the party. While they deceptively carried themselves as members of the PDP, their activities in the last governorship election showed their duplicity and it is on this account that the party has suspended them,” Adeojo added.