Ondo APC suspends chairman for beating commissioner

The Ondo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress has suspended Mr. Olumide Awolumate, the party’s ward chairman in the state’s Akoko North-West Local Government Area, for allegedly assaulting Mrs. Juliana Osadahun, the state commissioner for woman affairs and social development.

In an altercation with the commissioner that was captured on camera, the embattled chairman was seen allegedly injuring the latter’s head during the Sunday distribution of remedies for the elimination of oil subsidies in Arigidi Akoko.

Speaking about the event with our correspondent on Monday, Mr. Ade Adetimehin, the party’s state chairman, voiced his resentment at the alleged assault on the commissioner and said that the party had met that day to discuss it.

He claimed that once the party’s leadership met to discuss the incident, it was decided that Awolumate should be expelled from the organization.

The party would not accept any indiscipline, the chairman declared. Such behavior is something I absolutely detest, and after the party discussed it, the ward’s chairman was suspended. How can a woman be beaten? Please be quite clear and loud if you want me to stop tolerating it. The party must respect a lady, regardless of the offense committed by that honorable commissioner.

“Our party is known for its welfare policies; all of the local governments can attest to that; nowhere was the party involved in this event. The individual has now received a sanction.

The state’s police commissioner, Mr. Asabi Abiodun, has denounced the attack and called for an investigation, according to a statement from the state command’s police public relations officer, Mrs. Funmilayo Odunlami.

According to the force PRO, the Commissioner was attacked by an assailant named Awolumate Olumide while having a meeting with some of their party members in the Akoko region to oversee the distribution of the aforementioned palliatives.

The matter has been sent to the SCID (State Criminal Investigation Department), Akure for further investigation into the circumstances leading up to the assault, per the CP’s instruction for a complete investigation to be conducted.

Similar to this, Oluwatosin Ajirotutu, the deputy majority leader of the Ondo State House of Assembly, has denounced the alleged assault on the commissioner. She urged the state police command to detain and charge the APC leader.