“I Attacked Ondo Commissioner In Self Defence” – APC Ward Chairman

By Ayodele Oni

Olumide Awolumate, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akoko area of Ondo State at the centre of a physical assault on the Commissioner for Women Affairs, has explained that he attacked the Commissioner in self defence.

This is just as the leadership of his ward, Akoko North West 1, announced his suspension indefinitely from the party for the unruly behaviour.

Awolumate, who is Ward Chairman of APC in  Arigidi/Iye Ward, in Akoko North West Local Government was suspended after a meeting at Okeagbe, where the decision was taken, and communicated to the State Chairman, Ade Adetimehin.

State APC spokesman, Alex Kalejaiye, stated in a statement on Tuesday that the action of the Local Chapter is in line with the directive of the State Secretariat in Akure on Monday, after the show of shame on Saturday.

“In furtherance to the above, the leadership of the party in Akoko North West deem it fit to officially inform the State Secretariat that Awolumate Olumide is hereby suspended indefinitely from the Party in Akoko North West of our great party”, the letter read in part.

Adetimehin, on receipt of the suspension letter, assured that the State Secretariat would set up a Disciplinary Committee immediately to ensure that the suspended Awolumate is appropriately punished, to serve as deterrent to other leaders and members of the party.

Awolumate, while explaining his own side of the incident said the Commissioner for Women affairs, Bunmi Osadahun, led two persons, one of them her son, who is a policeman, to attack him in his house.

Speaking with newsmen, Awolumate stated that this was after he had an altercation with the Commissioner at a meeting over the mode of sharing palliatives allocated to party members.

He said the confrontation resulted in a fracas which lasted for some minutes with the Commissioner and her son who accompanied her, beating him, which forced him to defend himself.

“What happened is that we had a meeting at the Local Government level, at the house of a leader, Pa Akeju. We talked about the Party, during which the Commissioner for Women Affairs talked about the palliatives that were distributed sometime ago.

“The Commissioner disclosed that the palliatives had been given to different sectors, and at that junction I raised my hand as the ward Chairman of the party that the ten bags that supposed to be in my custody did not get to me. I noted that some groups had been given, which include, PDP, artisans and groups and said ours should be sent to me .

“I raised this in the presence of all the leaders of the Party, and the Commissioner objected to this, saying she was the Head of that Committee at the state level, but I objected my non inclusion in the sharing of the palliative, as I was not invited.

“This led to an argument and I was prevailed upon to leave the meeting and I was home with my family playing ludo when I saw the Commissioner in company of her son and the Police Officer.

“Her son pounced on me from behind and started hitting me,  but I cannot sit and fold my arms to  allow him be hitting me in the presence of my own wife, children and friends. I stood up and fought him back, as I was fighting him, the Commissioner joined her son and fought me also.

“She started beating and tearing my cloth. In the process, she carried a chair and threw it at me and in retaliation I took the chair and threw it back at her.

“To my surprise I started seeing a video circulating, anybody that studies the video would see it has been doctored and edited, it was so short, it was a planned work, they knew what they are coming to do in my house, they have arranged for somebody to video the scene, I never expected something of such”

He attributed the friction to involvement of the Commissioner  in anti party activities, saying “the woman was involved in anti- party activities, the last state Assembly election. His son was the coordinator of a particular candidate in PDP, the woman was actively involved in their campaign, they used the woman official vehicle to go round the town and campaign for PDP and this did not go down well with party faithful from the ward.

“When the issue of palliative came about, she chose to call this PDP she worked for then, against our candidate in the election, they were the ones she put in charge of the palliatives and this did not go down well with the party members.”