…Confirms Adeleke’s younger brother for Monday’s primary election
There was a tense atmosphere at the secretariat of the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress in Osogbo after the screening committee set up by the national leadership of the party announced the disqualification of a former senator for Osun West Senatorial District, Mudashiru Hussein, from the bye-election of the federal constituency fixed for July, 8.
The screening committee chaired by the Speaker, Zamfara State Assembly, Sanusi Rikiji, while briefing journalists at the APC Secretariat located at Ogo Oluwa in Osogbo, on Sunday, said Hussein, said to be the preferred candidate of the state Governor Rauf Aregbesola to replace late Isiaka Adeleke at the Senate, failed to resign his position as the Commissioner for Executive Cabinet Matters thirty days before the bye-election.
In a copy of the screening result handed to Hussein, which was sighted by our correspondent, the committee noted therein that according to the APC 2014 Guidelines for the nomination of candidates for public office- Section (2), minimum requirement at page two, aspirants seeking public office on its platform (APC) “Shall not have remained as an employee of the public service within the 30 days preceding the date of an election.”
Meanwhile, the Committee successfully screened a younger brother to the late lawmaker, Mr. Ademola Adeleke, and so would be contesting unopposed at the party’s primary election to be held on Monday in Osogbo.
After submitting the results of the screening exercise to the state APC chairman, Prince Gboyega Famoodun, the two candidates- Hussein and Adeleke- Rikiji said the committee was ready for the primary election and appealed to the candidates to ensure that they conduct themselves and their supporters in a peaceful manner during the primary election.
He said, “We have done our best and have tried to be fair to all candidates. The committee members had sleepless nights to ensure the success of the screening. So, I want to urge you( candidates) to guide your people and followers to conduct themselves in the manner that APC members are known for.”
At this juncture, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Dr. Ajibola Bashiru, who said he was speaking as the counsel to Hussein, challenged the guideline that disqualified the former senator and demanded for a copy of the guideline or the constitution that the committee based their disqualification upon.
But Rikiji, after a hot altercation with Bashiru, asked him to consult the Appeal Committee of the party for any complaints.
The matter became more noisy, when Famoodun threw his weight behind the call for the committee to tender a copy of the guideline, saying that failure of the committee to accede to their request would make the screening exercise inconclusive.
The screening committee members, after sensing that the uproar could degenrate, quickly shunned their clamour and declared the press conference closed.
However, when asked by journalists to react to the disqualification of Hussein, Bashiru said that the committee’s decision was fraudulent.
“With respect to the screening committee, I will say it clearly that their decision cannot stand. It is fraudulent. I have here a copy of the guideline he (Rikiji) cited, the provision that he quoted in the letter given to my principal (Hussein) is not in that guideline. I challenge them openly to provide the guideline they quoted.
” The constitution of the party is supreme; the only provision of the constitution of our party that requires somebody to resign his position is in Article 1(3) and it only relates to somebody holding party office. They claimed that my principal is serving as a commissioner, its a lie. They claimed in the letter sent to my principal that the aspirant should not have remained in the employment of the public service, thirty days before election but being a commissioner is merely an appointment and not an employment. We are going to appeal this process but we know certainly that there will be danger if people who are supposed to be of credibility can act with whims and caprices. The primary will hold and my principal, Hussein will triumph,” he said.
Displaying a copy of his resignation letter as commissioner, Hussein said he resigned his appointment on June 6, 2017.
