From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the former Commissioner for Information in the state, Kassim Afegbua, has been expelled from the opposition party.
The State Chairman, Anthony Azegbemi, stated this in a letter to the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus.
Azegbemi, in the letter dated May 17, 2021 and made available to journalists, yesterday, in Abuja, said Afegbua’s expulsion was as result of alleged anti-party activities, during the September 19, 2020 Edo State gubernatorial election.
The letter read: “Mr. Kassim Afegbua as a member of PDP, hitherto engaged in series of anti-party activities in his ward before and during Edo State gubernatorial election of September 19, 2020. All attempts by his ward, local government area and state disciplinary committees to secure his attendance at various meetings to clear himself of all the allegations, proved abortive.
“I hereby forward herewith to you the expulsion of Mr. Kassim Afegbua as unanimously affirmed by the state disciplinary committee of our party in Edo State.”
However, Afegbua, in his reaction, stated that the Edo PDP chairman was allegedly acting the script of Secondus, because of his petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) calling for a probe of the party’s finances.
Afegbua had dragged the PDP leadership to the EFCC seeking a probe of N10billion allegedly realised from sales of nomination forms.
The former commissioner, in a statement, yesterday, said he was never invited to appear before any disciplinary panel.
“First and foremost, it is a blatant lie that I was ever invited to any disciplinary committee. The state chairman is just acting the script of one Uche Secondus who is desperately making effort to carry out a misplaced political vendetta because of my petition to the EFCC to seek accountability and transparency.