Ojudu’s campaign of calumny against Fayemi in London: The facts of the matter

Our attention has been drawn to a recent publication credited to one FEMI ODERE purported to be Senior Special Assistant (Diaspora Affairs) to Ekiti State Governor on the above subject matter. It is rather unfortunate that a representative of the government of the fountain of knowledge will not do due diligence before responding to our last programme organised in honour of late Chief MKO Abiola and the June 12 struggles which was a national and international struggle that led to the death of the president elect and numerous Nigerians on the streets of Nigeria.

He threw caution to the wind by brandishing our leaders with colourful names such as “shadowy”, “Fringe”, “Rouge”. The APC UK South West States is led by Hon. Muyiwa Adesua (Ekiti) and other 22 executive members that were duly elected at the congress of the party caucus in August 2019 in London, which was conducted by the National Chairman and the Organising Secretary of the APC UK the only recognised party organ in the United Kingdom, Dr Philip Idaewor and Hon. Ibrahim Yusuf respectively.

The programme was duly put together by the EXCO of the APC UK South West States for us to reflect and interact on the issue of June 12 and it was tagged “June 12: The Road to Immortalization”. Several activists and politicians in the All Progressives Congress Party in Nigeria were contacted including distinguished Senator Babafemi Ojudu, the Senior Special adviser to the President on Political Matters to come and address Nigerians in the UK on June 12, 2020. The executives narrowed it down to Senator Ojudu and the invitation was extended to him, to which he accepted. Distinguished Senator Ojudu is a statesman and individual of impeccable character with genuine progressive traits and as a foot soldier of democracy.

The campaign for him to stay away from the programme started immediately after the acceptance and he shared his concerns with us. We remedied the situation by giving him the accurate situation of things on ground in the UK, we reached out to notable Party leaders and stakeholders in the country to prevail on him to attend the virtual event and he obliged.

The programme was a huge success with members of APC UK and the Public fully participating on Zoom and following the live stream of the event on our FaceBook and Youtube pages. Senator Ojudu was frank as usual, he discussed party politics and the essence of unity amongst diasporan party members, he preached party discipline and cohesion in order for the diasporan community to speak with one voice at all times. He delved into the history of June 12 struggles and the sacrifice made by the Abiola Family and other activists including how one of his colleagues was tortured to death by the Abacha junta. During the question and answer session, questions were asked about political developments in Nigeria and the distinguished Senator was honest in his responses.

Femi Odere who is the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Fayemi of Ekiti State on diaspora should have made the necessary consultation before making hasty and unwarranted comments about the person of Senator Babafemi Ojudu and the leaders of APC UK South West States that is being ably led by its chairman. It is evident that Mr Odere is naive of the political trend of Ekiti indigenes and Nigerians in diaspora; we recommend that he lives up to the responsibility endeared to the office he currently occupies.

The APC UK South West States is highly formidable since the days of the AD, AC, ACN and now APC. It will not submit to those elements using social media platforms, divide and rule and criminal dynamics to engage our vulnerable leaders to say otherwise. We will welcome our party leaders back home here in the UK to see things for themselves.

We want to use this medium to call the attention of his Excellency Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State to call Femi Odere to order and advise him to stop dabbling into matters beyond the purveys of his office.