The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has again suffered another round of defections, as some notable members of the party in Oyo State have defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The defectors included Hon. Afeez Jimoh, Folake Olunloyo-Osinowo, Tayo Sarumi, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan, Mrs Ayoka Lawani and former Chairman, Iseyin Local Government, Mr Waheed Adeleke, among other party leaders.
The defectors were received at an event at the Mapo Hall in Ibadan yesterday by Governor Abiola Ajimobi and Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, who represented President-Elect, Muhammadu Buhari and the National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
According to them, they decided to join the APC because they discovered it is only the party that can take Oyo State and the country to the desired destination.
Hon. Olunloyo-Osinowo, daughter of Second Republic Governor, Omololu Olunloyo, said all the members of the PDP in Ibadan South West and Ibadan North West had defected to the APC, stating that they identified with progressive ideology and believed that only the party would take the country to the promised land.
“God has deserted PDP and Nigerians have rejected it. That was why we left the party. The APC remains the only party that can take Nigeria to her land of destiny,” she said.
Another former PDP member of the House of Representatives and now a chieftain of the Accord, Hon. Sarumi, said his former party had become a sinking ship that would meet its waterloo at the governorship polls on Saturday.
Former governorship aspirant Dr. Adeduntan urged the Accord governorship candidate, Senator Rashidi Ladoja to prepare for the Olubadan stool as he would be retired finally from politics on Saturday. He said former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala should also prepare for his retirement from politics.
Receiving the defectors, Aregbesola said the President-elect and other leaders of the party could not attend the event due to other party engagements. He said they sent their appreciation of the massive votes that the people of the state gave the APC in the presidential/National Assembly elections.
Aregbesola called on state electorate not to identify with the people he called “emergency progressives” whom he said wanted to reap where they did not sow, saying that it had shown that they were fake.
Ajimobi congratulated the defectors for what he called the decapitation of “the sore thumb of Oyo politics”.
He debunked “the sinister rumour” that immediately he is re-elected, he would increase hotel tariffs and taxes.
He promised that the old and new members would benefit from the government.
Others at the ceremony were Osun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, Mrs. Abiola Ajimobi, former House of Representatives Speaker, Patricia Etteh, all senators-elect, House of Representatives-elect and many others
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