Seyi Makinde
Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde has reportedly ordered the sacking of Mr Abubakre Adeyemi, the defensive midfielder of Shooting Stars, the state-owned football club, popularly called 3SC.
Adeyemi is known to wear jersey number 4.
Adeyemi is one of the sons of a factional leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adebisi Abdulrasheed Adeyemi, aka Olopoeniyan, who is at loggerheads with the governor in the state.
SaharaReporters learnt that though Adeyemi has not been officially asked to go, his mobile phone number has been removed from the official WhatsApp group of the 3SC.
Our correspondent learnt that Makinde who is on an official trip to Paris, France, ordered that Adeyemi should be sacked because of his father's involvement in the parallel PDP local government congresses held in the state on Tuesday.
The footballer was part of the shooting stars team expected to play in the new season of the Nigerian Professional League, which is expected to start soon.
Speaking on the development, Adeyemi who simply said he was surprised when he got removed from the team's WhatsApp group on Tuesday evening, added that removing a player in the 3SC WhatsApp group is a pointer to the sacking of the player.
He said when he contacted Coach Yinka Baboni, one of the assistant coaches of the team, he was told the order was from above.
"To know my stand, I called coach Yinka Baboni but he said the order was from above but I know God will intervene," he said.
He refused to speak further on the issue.
When contacted, the father of the player, who is a PDP chieftain popularly known as Olopoeniyan, said, "I know it is not unconnected with the recent crisis in our party, but it is not time for me to talk. Let Makinde continue victimising our members because of the crisis he mistakingly started. As far as I am concerned, Adeyemi (my son) is innocent in our party crisis and he shouldn't be a victim."