I Have No Plan To Join APC — Makinde

Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde, has declared that he nursed no plans to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Governor Makinde reiterated his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) amid the challenges that has seen the exit of some governors and lawmakers from the opposition party.

The governor stated this during the public presentation of a book: ‘Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration’, written by a former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday in Abuja.

“I am here for this book launch. I am not an APC member and I am not about to port to APC,” Makinde told the gathering of comprising political leaders across party lines.

Makinde, who maintained that Nigeria’s development would only be realised through sincere collaboration among leaders, noted that partisan rivalry should not override collective national interest.

He also blamed the country’s growing divisions on the ambitions of political elites, arguing that such divisions do not reflect the wishes of ordinary Nigerians.

Governor Makinde also maintained that Nigerians’ desire for unity and peaceful coexistence have often been exploited along religious, ethnic and regional lines for personal and political advantage.

He also decried what he referred as the “winner-takes-all” approach to politics, noting that this promotes exclusion and weakens national cohesion.

LEADERSHIP recalls that some PDP governors and lawmakers have recently defected to the ruling party the PDP, citing divisions in the party.