The Uhunmwode Local Government Area Chapter of the All Progressives Congress has communicated to the Edo State Executive Committee of the party through its Chairman Col. David Imuse (Rtd.) over the expulsion of former Minority Whip of the 7th House of Representatives Rt.Hon.(Dr.) Samson Raphael Osagie, State Auditor of the party and former Council Chairman Hon. Roland Alari, a female National Delegate to the 2023 APC Presidential Primary Mrs. Esohe Idemudia and others for anti-party activities and gross sabotage of the party in the 2023 general elections in the Local Government Area.
In a letter signed by the party chairman Hon. Osayemwenre Osawe and seventeen other Executive Committee members of the Local Government Area, and addressed to the State Chairman, the party referenced an earlier letter suspending selected members of the Local Government Area arising from various degrees of petitions from units and wards, and from the party candidates to the effects of anti-party activities, election sabotage, factionalization, absenteeism from party meetings and campaigns, zero financial support for the party amongst others. The majority of the petitioners had demanded thorough investigations and their suspension to avoid their interference with a constitutional Disciplinary Committee which the party leadership obliged.
Following invitations, investigations, and recommendations of the Prof. David Osifo-led Disciplinary Committee, the Local Government Executive Committee has ratified the expulsion of the former Minority Whip of the House of Representatives Hon. Samson Osagie, State Auditor of the party Hon. Roland Alari, National Delegate to the party’s presidential primary Mrs. Esohe Idemudia and Secretary of the party in the Local Government Area Mr. Nelson Gomez Iserhienrhien. Others expelled are Mr. Monday Guobadia, Mr. Festus Iyekeoretin, and Mr. Evans Ozabor. Meanwhile, a former Commissioner of the Public Complaint Commission Barr. Felix Alari, Mr. Simon Uduogie, and Hon. Jolly Iyekeoretin were pardoned and admonished to improve their behaviours towards the party, while Mr. William Amadin was suspended for six months.
According to one of the Executive Committee members of the Local Government Area who spoke under condition of anonymity, the expulsion of Hon. Samson Osagie and his cohorts from the party is long overdue as they have continued to be clogged in the wheels of progress in the Local Government Area and Senatorial District with the practice of negotiating immediate financial benefits from the opposition and undermining the APC at every election since 2019. He said election results from the units and wards of the expelled leaders overwhelmingly favoured the opposition parties in the 2019 general elections, the 2020 Edo State gubernatorial election, and again in the 2023 general elections with evidence of sabotage. He continued that their boastful posture has even made matters worse and only a political party that enjoys failure will continue to allow such people to co-exist with serious and determined members.
Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo State is reported to be one of the four Local Government Areas in the State where the APC suffered a humiliating defeat in all four elections in the 2023 general elections with the worst margin of defeat coming from Umagbae South Ward 6 of the former Minority Whip of the House of Representatives Hon. Samson R. Osagie, a circumstance attributed to a deliberate and orchestrated sabotage of the party as reported by the Disciplinary Committee.
Our correspondent learned that before the expulsion, Hon. Samson Osagie have written to the Edo State Executive Committee of the APC personally, and through his solicitors to declare his suspension none and void, and of no consequence, a letter the State Executive Committee is yet to respond to as at the time of filing this report, but there are indications that the party in the state is embarking on self-cleansing ahead of the 2024 gubernatorial election and only irrefutable evidence of bias can change the position taken by any Local Government Area Executive Committee by the State.
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