Ogun PDP Ex-Chairman Leads Defectors To APC

A major political tsunami on Sunday hit the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the party’s former state Chairman, Hon. Sikirullahi Ogundele, led several other prominent members of the party to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from Ogun West Senatorial District of the state.

Other notable politicians who defected alongside Ogundele to the state chapter of APC included the former state Publicity Secretary, Akinloye Bankole, the former PDP Youth Leader in the state, Oyejide Sukanmi, as well as the State Women Leader, Kemi Adeyemi, among others.

The defectors were, however, received into the party by the trio of the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, the APC governorship candidate for the state, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, as well as the state party Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, at a grand reception organised for them in Ilaro, headquarters of Yewa South Local Government Area of the state.

Explaining the factors that compelled the one-time members of the PDP State Executive Committee (SEC) to abandon their party for the APC, Ogundele declared that the party has since “collapsed” with the umbrella torn into pieces.

Ogundele likened the current state of the umbrella party to that of a burning house, declaring that no right-thinking person would remain inside a building engulfed by fire and allow himself to be consumed by such a raging fire.

He further disclosed that the mass movement of governors and other prominent politicians away from the PDP was evidence of the deep crisis within the party, stressing that it would amount to political suicide should party leaders like himself and others still stay in the party.

Commenting on the crisis surrounding the indigeneship status of the APC governorship candidate, Adeola, Ogundele described such allegations as a recurring feature that is peculiar to governorship contests in the Gateway State.

He urged party supporters to disregard claims questioning Adeola’s Ogun roots, arguing that similar allegations had been made against past governors of the state, beginning from Aremo Olusegun Osoba in 1999 to Otunba Gbenga Daniel in 2003 and Ibikunle Amosun in 2011, stressing that despite that, they all won the elections.

“They said Amosun is from Benin Republic, Daniel from Delta State, Osoba from Osogbo. Despite that, they all emerged as governors of the state. So, what is going on against Yayi now is an indication that he will also win.”

He, however, urged party faithful to disregard the rumour of indigeneship against Adeola, popularly known as “Yayi”.