The Ondo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced its intention to take disciplinary action against one of its ward chairmen, Mr. Olumide Awolumate, in Akoko North-West Local Government Area. This decision comes in response to allegations that Mr. Awolumate physically assaulted the state Commissioner for Woman Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Juliana Osadahun.
A video circulating online captured the heated altercation between the embattled chairman and the commissioner during a palliatives distribution event in Arigidi Akoko on a recent Sunday. The footage suggested that Mrs. Osadahun sustained injuries to her head as a result of the altercation.
In an interview with our correspondent on Monday, the state chairman of the APC, Mr. Ade Adetimehin, expressed his dismay over the alleged attack on the commissioner and stated that the party would address the matter promptly. Mr. Adetimehin declared, “We do not tolerate indiscipline within our party. The chairman in question will face suspension for his involvement in this public and embarrassing incident. I have instructed the party chairman in the local government to convene a meeting today in Akure, where we will deliberate on the issue and impose appropriate sanctions as necessary. However, it is certain that the ward chairman will be suspended.”
Princess Oluwatosin Ajirotutu, the Deputy Majority Leader of the Ondo State House of Assembly, also condemned the alleged assault on the commissioner. She called upon the state police command to take action by arresting and prosecuting Mr. Olumide Awolumate, a prominent member of the APC.
In her statement, the legislator emphasized, “It is deeply troubling and uncivilized to have witnessed the video clip that has created chaos in the media and in Arigidi, Akoko Northwest of Ondo State, following the Ondo State Government’s directive on subsidy palliatives distribution across the state. Mr. Awolumate Olumide’s actions against Hon. Adebunmi Osadahun are unacceptable, and he must be apprehended and subjected to the highest level of disciplinary measures by the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, while the Ondo State Attorney General should initiate immediate legal proceedings against him. Assault on women should never be tolerated anywhere in Ondo State or the country, given the crucial roles women play in society.”
