By Richard Adejare
A former senator representing Ogun East in the 8th National Assembly, Senator Buruji Kashamu has exposed the suspended state chairman of Ogun state PDP, Engineer Adebayo Dayo for attempting to sell the party structure to Kessington Adebutu for N100million.
In a press release personally signed by Senator Buruji Kashamu and made available to News Hub Mag! the Senator described Engr. Dayo as a betrayer and an ingrate who attempted to sell the party that sustained him for many years.
While stressing that Ogun PDP is not averse to reconciliation, Senator Kashamu said the illegal transaction is unacceptable, “…how can anyone think that he can sell a political structure comprising many interests, major stakeholders for a mere 100 million naira?” he queried.
Senator Kashamu who enumerated some alleged misdeeds of the embattled chairman said, “Eight years ago when Dayo became State Chairman, he only had one uncompleted building in Ijebu Igbo. Today, through the position of State Chairman, God has blessed him with about 6 houses in Ogun State and Ibadan with about six vehicles and many plots of land.
“Dayo has proven time and again that his greed can never be satisfied. He used the chairmanship position to enrich himself and his family. In 2015, he embezzled about N50 million campaign funds, just as he got a plot of land in Abuja as Chairman of the PDP in Ogun State which he sold for N25 million.
“He was meant to share the money with other Exco members and leaders. But, he didn’t. He pocketed everything. Still in 2015, he misappropriated over N100 million; N50 million realized from the sale of nomination forms and another N50 million of campaign funds. Of the millions realized from the sale of nomination forms sold ahead of the 2019 election, about N60 million was misappropriated without recourse to the leaders, elders and other stakeholders.
“During the 2019 election, I personally paid him N40 million to be shared between him and the erstwhile State Secretary, Alhaji Semiu Sodipo. He took N25 million and gave N15 million to Sodipo. Another sum of N34 million was facilitated for him through a kinsman, Mr. Teslim Giwa. He collected over N10 million from me for the just concluded Ward, Local Government and State Congresses in Ogun State without giving the delegates any money.
“For the past eight years, he got between N5 million and N10million monthly for the running of his office and the Party Secretariat where he inflated staff salaries and paid ghost or non-existent workers. These are a few of the many deals he struck while he held sway as the State PDP Chairman and yet his greedy nature won’t leave him.”
On the suspension of the embattled chairman, Senator Kashamu said the process of the suspension followed due process and was done in accordance to the constitution of the party. He therefore dismissed Engr. Dayo’s allegations as false.
According to him, “Contrary to Engr. Adebayo Dayo’s argument, there is no encumbrance whatsoever on the capacity of the OGSWC to pass a motion to suspend him from his position as State Chairman.
“This was not a meeting of the Ogun State Executive Committee of the PDP to determine whether to refer Dayo to a state disciplinary committee of the Party as forbidden by Article 59(3) of the PDP Constitution.
“It was a duly convened extraordinary meeting of the OGSWC of the PDP to discuss the Party’s activities and it was at that meeting that the decision was taken that the OGSWC be a complainant to the NEC of the Party, against Dayo, which may then refer the matter to the appropriate disciplinary committee at the National level.”
News Hub Mag! reports that Senator Kashamu however urged members of the Party in Ogun State to be peaceful and calm assuring that, “Dayo has no hope of victory in his dastardly endeavours. Members should be confident that the future of the Party in Ogun State is bright and all will be well,” he assured.
