The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has expelled former Edo state Commissioner of Information, Prince Kassim Afegbua.
Afegbua had petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, praying the anti-graft body to investigate the financial stewardship of the PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, Vanguard reports.
The ex-commissioner had accused Secondus of sundry misdeeds including alleged failure to account for the sum of N10 billion which Afegbua claimed accrued to the party from the sales of nomination forms for the 2019 general elections; a claim the party dismissed, insisting that it realized the sum of N4.6 billion and not N10 billion.
However, in a letter addressed to Secondus yesterday and signed by the Edo state chairman of the PDP, Tony Aziegbemi, the party announced Afegbua’s suspension, saying it took the decision after the former Commissioner failed to honour the party’s disciplinary committee to clear himself of allegations of anti-party activities.
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
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.”
Reacting to the development, Afegbua denied receipt of any invitation, adding that the said expulsion was orchestrated by Secondus to sway public attention from the issues he raised in his petition.
He said: “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”.
