Why Dotun Babayemi, Adeleke’s opponent was kicked out of PDP in Osun
On Friday, Prince Dotun Babayemi was kicked out of the Peoples Democratic Party in Otun Balogun Ward 2, Gbongan, Osun State.
The Supreme Court is now hearing an appeal from Babayemi about Senator Ademola Adeleke’s bid to represent the PDP in the July 16 governorship election.
The PDP primary that produced Adeleke was upheld as authentic by the Osogbo Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in Akure. It was planned and overseen by the party’s national leadership…...Continue Reading
The ward executives cited Babayemi and his supporters as having covert meetings with the APC in an effort to form an alliance against the PDP in the July 16 governorship race as justification for his expulsion.
A petition was presented against Babayemi at a meeting held on July 12, according to the Ward Secretary, Bukayo Ogunleye, who spoke on behalf of the executives at a press conference in Osogbo. A seven-person disciplinary committee was established to look into the allegations and provide a report to the executives.
He claimed that despite having the Disciplinary Committee’s invitation delivered to Babayemi’s home, the former candidate for governor declined to appear before the committee within the allotted seven days to present his defense.
He said, “Prince Dotun Babayemi has not been attending the ward meetings since October 2021 till date, rather than functioning as an influencer and a rallying point to all members of the party.
His prolonged absence from ward meetings, which began in October 2021 and continued till the present, was seen incorrectly by party members as a sign that he was not committed to maintaining the party’s unity.
“That Prince Dotun Babayemi’s ongoing legal battles against the party were an intentional ruse to upset the apple cart and undermine the party; this anti-party behavior had alienated party members and discouraged PDP supporters in Gbongan from supporting the party.
“The committee considered Prince Babayemi’s ongoing filing of several court actions against the party as an insult and his refusal to have them dismissed despite the intervention of the party’s leadership both at the state and national levels as utter disobedience to the party’s legal instructions.
“The Ward Executive Committee of the Party heard the report of the disciplinary committee at its meeting on July 20, 2022, and ratified the report of the disciplinary committee after thorough and extensive debate.
“The Ward Executive Committee of the party hereby removes and expels Prince Dotun Babayemi from the Peoples Democratic Party in accordance with the authority granted to it by articles 57(2) and 59(1)(g) of the PDP constitution. In light of this, he no longer belongs to the PDP.
As a response to the development, the campaign’s spokesperson, Kayode Oladeji, texted: “Those who carried out the shenanigans they called expelling Omooba Dotun Babayemi from the PDP are ignorant of the rules that govern the party; they and their sponsors are only being clever in their half-hearted attempt to browbeat Babayemi, a man of the people. They are clowns that want to make themselves laugh.
