The Deputy Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Osun State, Elder Sunday Akanfe Atidade has reacted to statement issued by a group within the party led by Mr. Soji Adagunodo which claimed that he is aware of transaction in the party made to acquire another apartment as a secretariat during his regime as chairman of the party.
In a statement personal signed by him on Tuesday, he said: “My attention has been drawn to statement purportedly issued by a dissident group within the party led by one Mr Soji Adagunodo insinuating my awareness of any transaction he and other traders in the party made to acquire another apartment as secretariat of our party during my time as chairman of the party.
“Ordinarily, this group of unfortunate parasites in our party deserve no dignity of my response as their action to any discerning mind, is apparently suggestive that of erroneous impressionists, looking for all available means to stir hornest nest of reactions anywhere they can get one in order to raise awareness about their destructive existence in our party. However, allowing a mad man to communicate family issues to the public at times, may send wrong signals of untidiness in such family. Hence, my resolve to state as follows:
“That, at no time either personally or officially in my capacity as the state Chairman did I get involved with anyone on any negotiation for property or apartment with a view to acquiring same for the purpose of housing the party secretariat activities. As the Chairman of the party during the period in question, there was no cause for me and other faithful members of our party to burn calories and resources looking elsewhere for a new secretariat as we were and still are fully at peace with the present and only known and registered secretariat of the party in the state at the National Office of the party in Abuja.
“That though there were suspicions that certain known characters among members of the State Working Committee, viz; the Osun East Senatorial Leader, Barrister Wale Ojo, the State Financial Secretary, Hon Remi Arogundade and the state Youth Leader, Mr Seyi Bamidele were making surreptitious agitation in this regard at a time myself and other members of the State Working Committee saw no reason or cause for any new apartment as party Secretariat, thereby giving them no attention about it. It was however not impossible that they went ahead behind my consent and other members of the State Working Committee to solicit for funds from some unsuspecting persons for this purpose, probably deploying arrant lies and innuedos, typical of their characters, to deceive and milk the unsuspecting donors.
“One of such instance to my knowledge was when these characters went to two of the party leaders, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, a gubernatorial aspirant in the 2018 governorship election in the state under the banner of our party and Prince Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi, the Senator representing Osun East Senatorial District, supplied my bank details to them for the purpose of entrapping my consent into their dubiuos scavenging.
“That a sum of #2million in two tranches of #1milion each on the 9th and 10th of September, 2020 respectively was transferred into my account by Dr Akin Ogunbiyi as well as #2.5million by Senator Fadahunsi earlier done on the 4th of September 2020. I needed no consultant to know that these transactions were inappropriate as I had no prior notice of such transactions. I therefore wasted no time notifying some of the key leaders of our party about the illicit moves of these characters in case of eventualities like we have presently.
“In the light of the foregoing and as requested by the obvious fund ‘Solicitor-in-Chief, Seyi Bamidele that the funds be refunded to his bank account number GTB 0109867590 as I was defiantly not available for the passed balls and being the one who called me immediately after the bank transfers by the donors to inquire if I had received the transfered amounts, prompting my instincts he and his two brothers were the ones instigating the transfers for obvious motives. The refunds were however made in tranches of outward volume capacity of my bank account in 4 days of 7th, 10 and 11th of September, 2020 for the first tranche of the #2.5million by Senator Fadahunsi and the last tranche of #2million on the 17th of September, 2020, after my bank account got upgraded for bigger transaction capacity. These are verifiable records in my bank details.
“That it should be noted here again that Dr Akin Ogunbiyi for instance, had never called me nor discussed our party affairs with me since my assumption of office as the party Chairman till the day he chose to transfer money to my account without notice. By the time I called him back immediately for explanations about his motive behind such unsolicited dealing, the State Youth Leader’s voice was audible at the background, again showing me he and the two others earlier mentioned were the masquerads behind the “Holy Mary Baby” windfalls. Whatever became of the #4.5million till today can only be explained by these fundraisers as well.
“These instant refunds became inevitable for me as the motive behind the transactions was predictably suspicious and at variance with my line of engagement as chairman of an indivisible political entity, the PDP.
“That my track records as the State Deputy Chairman of the party and subsequent positions I held in trust for our great party in the state would always make it difficult if not impossible for anyone not alone a group of money doublers in political garment to involve me in such obvious anti party engagements.
“That I was astonished that someone in the class of Dr Akin Ogunbiyi could stoop to the point of using the bank details of such unsolicited transaction for blackmailing purposes against my person. But thank goodness, I was well ahead, with living witnesses, against such dubious conspiracy.
“That the political undertakers should continue to ply their trade within the ambit of their greed and their dented image and not looking for innocent members of the party as joiners in their trade.”
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