APC expels only female lawmaker in Ondo Assembly

Barely 48 hours after the Ondo State governorship election, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has expelled the House of Assemblymember representing Ilaje Constituency 11, Semilore Tomomewo, for anti-party activities.

The party executives in Tomomewo’s ward, Mahin Ward IV, Ilaje Local Government Are, said the lawmaker worked to jeopardise the interest of the party in the election which Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu won a second term.

Her expulsion was contained in a letter to the state and national leadership of the party, made available to journalists in Akure by Mr. Olamigoke Ajimuda and Taid Omosule, the ward chairman and secretary respectively.

For the record, Tomomewo, who is the only female member of the Ninth Assembly, alongside nine others, had refused to sign the impeachment notice against the deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi, in July.

Ajayi is the governorship candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), though some of the anti-impeachment lawmakers, including Tomomewo, had affirmed that they were APC members.

Consequently, the leadership of the Assembly of 26 members, out of which 14 supported the impeachment, suspended her and some other members but a High Court sitting in Akure nullified their suspension.

They listed “her atrocities resulting in her expulsion from the party,” to include, “working against the interest of the party, APC in various political outings.

“Directly mobilizing and working for the Zenith Labour Party contrary to the provision of the Constitution of the All Progressives Congress which sponsored her to the parliament.

“Exclusively funding/financing the members and activities of the Zenith Labour Party against the interest of the APC before and during the just concluded governorship election in the state.

“Publicly adorning herself with materials bearing the logo and insignia of the Zenith Labour Party.”

Ajimuda affirmed that “having exhausted all known mechanism of the party to investigate her anti-party activities, the executives of Mahin Ward IV in Ilaje Local Government Area met, deliberated extensively and consequently expelled her from the party.”

While the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), whose candidate in the last election emerged the second runner up, urged APC not to rejoice yet in the victory of Governor Akeredolu.