APC Leaders Call For Banire’s Expulsion

Leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Mushin have
called on the National Working Committee of the party to consider
as a matter of urgency, the removal of Dr Muiz Banire as the
National Legal Adviser and subsequently expel him from the
party.

In a statement signed by two prominent party stalwarts in
Mushin, Kehinde Babatunde and Tayo Williams, they said they urgent
call was predicated upon several embarrassing morally deficient
situations he had exposed himself to which has largely affected the
image of the party and some other anti-party activities which
according to them was unbecoming of a principal officer of the
party.

Some of the untoward activities listed by the leaders are the
court judgement against the party in Odi- Olowo in which the
leaders alleged that Banire said he would go to court to contend
and speak against the party.

“The build up to the judgement as regards the Local Government
Elections in Odi-Olowo was not lost on us. In suit No
ID/1838/GCM/2017 before Honourable Justice Okuwobi, Dr Banire as
the National Legal Adviser assigned a legal representative for the
defence of the party in the suit, and instructed the legal
representative to disavow the party”, they said.

According to the leaders, it was evident from his response to
the party chairman’s statement against his highly unethical
behaviour, wherein he categorically stated that he instructed the
legal representative in total disregard of the possibility that his
action could cause the party losing the forthcoming elections.

They also noted that, Banire deliberately failed to furnish the
Lagos State APC Secretariat and the Odi-Olowo Constituency with
details of the matter in court.

“It would have been most reasonable that he requests a legal
representative from the state APC to join the legal team. This
deliberate dereliction of duty to ensure the party lost the case
speaks volumes,” they alleged

They also accused Banire of using his political allies for
publications against the party and its leadership in the State.

They mentioned a close ally of and ex-PDP member, “Ayo Adeluola
who sponsored a full page advertorial in Punch newspaper referring
to the party and our esteemed leaders as 419, amongst other
uncomplimentary remarks.”

According to the release, they also accused a member of MEF,
Niyi Akinsiju as also sponsoring a full page advertorial in the
Punch eulogising Banire while repeating the same uncomplimentary
remarks about party leaders in the State, calling them names and
disparaging them.

They also alleged that Banire, in an interview published in
Sunday Punch referred to the parties hierarchy in Lagos State as
thieves, alleging that they sold tickets to candidates among many
other issues he raised.

“In the said interview, he also disregarded and referred to a
two-time Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator
Tokunbo Afikuyomi and the Chairman of the state party electoral
committee as a nobody” they said

The also accused members of Dr Banire’s Group (MEF) in Mushin,
as not only threatening to work against the party in Mushin but had
actually defected to Labour Party and picked tickets to contest the
forthcoming Local Government elections.

This, according to them clearly showed the motive and intentions
of Banire to destroy APC.

They also urged the good people of Mushin and Odi-Olowo to
urgently take the issue of recall of Funmi Tejuosho and Layi
Olawale (Members representing the 2 constituencies), who are also
members of MEF, expeditiously, as both of them had evidently shown
in the recent past that they were no longer in support of the party
on which platform they became representatives.

“For instance, Hon Lai Olawale had referred to leaders of the
party in Mushin as “so called leaders” using unprintable words to
describe them in the social media” How then does he lobby the
political leaders in government to the advantage of his people?”
They wondered.

Leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Mushin have
called on the National Working Committee of the party to consider
as a matter of urgency, the removal of Dr Muiz Banire as the
National Legal Adviser and subsequently expel him from the
party.

In a statement signed by two prominent party stalwarts in
Mushin, Kehinde Babatunde and Tayo Williams, they said they urgent
call was predicated upon several embarrassing morally deficient
situations he had exposed himself to which has largely affected the
image of the party and some other anti-party activities which
according to them was unbecoming of a principal officer of the
party.

Some of the untoward activities listed by the leaders are the
court judgement against the party in Odi- Olowo in which the
leaders alleged that Banire said he would go to court to contend
and speak against the party.

“The build up to the judgement as regards the Local Government
Elections in Odi-Olowo was not lost on us. In suit No
ID/1838/GCM/2017 before Honourable Justice Okuwobi, Dr Banire as
the National Legal Adviser assigned a legal representative for the
defence of the party in the suit, and instructed the legal
representative to disavow the party”, they said.

According to the leaders, it was evident from his response to
the party chairman’s statement against his highly unethical
behaviour, wherein he categorically stated that he instructed the
legal representative in total disregard of the possibility that his
action could cause the party losing the forthcoming elections.

They also noted that, Banire deliberately failed to furnish the
Lagos State APC Secretariat and the Odi-Olowo Constituency with
details of the matter in court.

“It would have been most reasonable that he requests a legal
representative from the state APC to join the legal team. This
deliberate dereliction of duty to ensure the party lost the case
speaks volumes,” they alleged

They also accused Banire of using his political allies for
publications against the party and its leadership in the State.

They mentioned a close ally of and ex-PDP member, “Ayo Adeluola
who sponsored a full page advertorial in Punch newspaper referring
to the party and our esteemed leaders as 419, amongst other
uncomplimentary remarks.”

According to the release, they also accused a member of MEF,
Niyi Akinsiju as also sponsoring a full page advertorial in the
Punch eulogising Banire while repeating the same uncomplimentary
remarks about party leaders in the State, calling them names and
disparaging them.

They also alleged that Banire, in an interview published in
Sunday Punch referred to the parties hierarchy in Lagos State as
thieves, alleging that they sold tickets to candidates among many
other issues he raised.

“In the said interview, he also disregarded and referred to a
two-time Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator
Tokunbo Afikuyomi and the Chairman of the state party electoral
committee as a nobody” they said

The also accused members of Dr Banire’s Group (MEF) in Mushin,
as not only threatening to work against the party in Mushin but had
actually defected to Labour Party and picked tickets to contest the
forthcoming Local Government elections.

This, according to them clearly showed the motive and intentions
of Banire to destroy APC.

They also urged the good people of Mushin and Odi-Olowo to
urgently take the issue of recall of Funmi Tejuosho and Layi
Olawale (Members representing the 2 constituencies), who are also
members of MEF, expeditiously, as both of them had evidently shown
in the recent past that they were no longer in support of the party
on which platform they became representatives.

“For instance, Hon Lai Olawale had referred to leaders of the
party in Mushin as “so called leaders” using unprintable words to
describe them in the social media” How then does he lobby the
political leaders in government to the advantage of his people?”
They wondered.