Mixed reactions have continued to trail the defection of two political associates of Governor Olusegun Mimiko from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
It could be recalled that the duo, former Senator Ayo Akinyelure and former Director-General of the Technical Aids Corps, TAC, Dr. Pius Osunyinkanmi recently issued a joint statement about their decisions to pitch tents with the APC.
While some political observers welcome their defections as great boost to the opposition party in the state, others urged APC to be careful about the new members, which they said may have been planted by Mimiko in the party.
A chieftain of APC from Ekiti state but residing in Akure, Comrade Ojo Anthony said series of defectors received by the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2012 was one of the factors that it down during the last gubernatorial poll.
Anthony revealed that some of the defectors, who also contested the party ticket, were planted by Mimiko to cause confusion in the party. He said they later returned to their camp after Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu SAN was picked by the party.
But APC in the state described their defection as a welcome development.
In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, APC saluted their courage and resolve to align with the change agenda of the federal government and determination to work with others to effect the necessary change in the administration of Ondo State.
It said: “We assure them that the APC in the state is open, ready and prepared to accept them into its fold and treat them with all the respect they deserve.
“This present move by these gentlemen and their supporters should serve as an encouragement and eye-opener to all progressives still in the PDP and other parties to do the needful- join the APC. We urge them to take action now by joining hands with us to end the strange rule of one man in the state.”
However, the state chapter of PDP said the defectors were driven by their personal goals and not the interest of people of the state.
The party, which stated this in a statement by its Director of Publicity, Ayo Fadaka, said the two politicians had embarked on a journey to political irrelevance.
Fadaka said the last senatorial election showed that Akinyelure, who was candidate of the party, had lost relevance in the state politics.
He added that Osunyikanmi defected to APC because he was trying to save his appointment with the federal government as Director General of Directorate of Technical Aids Corps.
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