The gale of defections hitting the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has continued unabated with the exit of a former National Assembly member, Senator Bode Ola.
Ola, who represented Ekiti Central in the Senate between 2009 and 2011, joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) at Ward 6 in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, alongside a former Assembly member (2003-2007), Hon. Segun Ola, alongside their supporters.
The two PDP bigwigs were received into the APC at a rally held in Okeyinmi area of the city by party leaders led by the Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, Wednesday evening.
The former Senator is the immediate past Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) under former Governor Ayo Fayose, while the former Assembly member was former member of the House of Assembly Service Commission.
The former SUBEB chief said he was attracted to the APC because of the impact the administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi has made in the lives of the people of Ekiti State.
Ola said: “The way this administration has started revealed that they have the love of the masses at heart.
“The policies they made in the education sector are legendary; I was in charge of SUBEB in the last administration, a sum of 3.5 billion Naira was left untouched.
“Within this short period of time, we can see how this administration has rightfully deployed those resources to boost our education sector.”
Also speaking, Hon Ola revealed that Fayemi’s campaign slogan, reclaiming our land and restoring our value, attracted him to the party.
According to him, Ekiti under his former party was occupied by those he described as “marauders between 2014 and 2018” when the values of the land were misplaced.
The ex-state lawmaker assured that the party and the people of the state would feel their impact.
Receiving the defectors, Egbeyemi, who described APC as a party that has the interest of the masses at heart, said Ekiti people have been enjoying a new lease of life under the Fayemi administration.
This, he said, could be attested to by the programmes and policies Governor Fayemi had initiated and implemented within the short period of time he came into power.
The deputy governor also revealed plan of the state government to restore the social welfare scheme for the aged in which they will be receiving monthly stipends as executed during Fayemi’s first tenure.
He said: “We are happy that you (Senator Bode Ola) is back to our Party and we welcome Honourable Segun Ola. Senator Bode Ola has come back to where he belongs.
“These are men of reputable character, they came from a good family.
“We brought goodwill to Ekiti people, salaries are now paid as and when due and we have started clearing backlog of salaries owed by the previous administration.
“Dr Kayode has increased the ten million naira set aside by the previous administration for payment of retirement benefits to one hundred million naira.”
On his part, the state APC Deputy Chairman, Mr Sola Elesin, charged the two defectors, to work assiduously for the progress and glory of the party.
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