By MUFTAU OGUNYEMI

Dr Olu Agunloye says he has resigned as the acting national chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and become the acting national secretary of the party in the country.

Agunloye made the disclosure in a phone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure on Wednesday.

Agunloye, who explained that his resignation was not due to his suspension by the party in the state, said it was to strengthen the party’s chances ahead of the incoming general election in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Agunloye, a former Minister of Power and Steel, was suspended by the Ondo State chapter of the SDP in a letter dated March 28, over alleged anti-party activities.

In the suspension letter, Agunloye was accused of bringing non-party members into the party to cause confusion and disturb the functions of the party executives at both state and local government levels.

The party stated that Agunloye was suspended from his ward (ward 10) in Akoko North-West Local Government area of the state, following a resolution of the ward executives.

According to him, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party met on March 22 and announced that all positions that are zoned to the South are now zoned to the North.

“So, there is no big deal about swapping in the party because the presidential aspirant is coming from the South. In fact one of the leading aspirants is coming from Ondo State.

“It is not politically expedient to allow the presidential candidate to come from the South and the national chairman also from Ondo State, which is part of the South.

“And for me, to do so without commotion is to resign my position as a national chairman of the party.

“As I am speaking to you, I’m sitting on my desk that I used when I was the acting national chairman but now, am the acting national secretary,” he said.

Agunloye, who described his suspension as “mischievous and an action of some people that had no locus”, said they were doing so “because he was making waves in Nigeria”.

According to him, “as at the time they claimed I have been suspended, I was presiding over a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting of the party.

“The suspension is just the action of some of the people that have no locus because if the party allows their suspension, nobody will be chairman anymore, because some people can just sit down and suspend the national chairman.

“They are frustrated people and we will not provoke them the more but if they take it away from political rascality to crime, we would curtail them,” he said. (NAN)

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