According to Punch, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has barred the lawmaker representing Ondo-Central senatorial district, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, from attending South-West caucus meetings.
It was learnt that the senator was ostracised for allegedly working against the interest of the party’s South-West leadership and for taking sides with Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Alasoadura was also among the senators that followed Saraki to the Code of Conduct Tribunal in solidarity on Tuesday.
A reliable source within the party told Punch correspondent that Alasoadura had been sidelined from all APC South-West meetings for his disloyalty to Tinubu.
The source said, “Alasoadura was a Commissioner for Finance under the late Dr. Olusegun Agagu for over five years. He later defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the Action Congress of Nigeria. Tinubu accepted him and appointed him the Director-General of the Rotimi Akeredolu governorship campaign organisation in 2013.
“Alasoadura was not even supposed to have emerged the senatorial candidate of the APC in the last election but the party favoured him. However, when he got to the Senate, he returned to his PDP family and started working against the party. He also supported Saraki against the interest of the party.
“When Tinubu convened a South-West meeting in Abuja during the height of the National Assembly crisis, Alasoadura came. However, Tinubu walked him out of the meeting and told his orderly to ensure that the senator was escorted off the premises.
“Tinubu also warned senators present to ensure that sensitive issues were not discussed in the presence of Alasoadura as he was an enemy within.” (Punch)
It is no surprise with the back-sliding of newly-joined members of the APC. The deluge of membership, particularly from PDP to APC was foreseen at the outset and various non-political views warned that ‘not all that glitters is gold’. In a sense, this view was repeated over and over again. Lessons should be learnt in any coalition because values and personal principles work together. Such disloyalty cannot be prevented but foresight will irretrievably teach the leadership to apply hindsight and insight so as to prevent multiple ‘jumping ship’ or, at worst, political espionage. This Party has a lot to learn and many others will have a lot to learn.