The Chairmen, Secretaries, and Executive Council Members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ijebu East, Ijebu North, and Ogun Waterside local governments backed Governor Dapo Abiodun over Ladi Adebutu on Thursday.
Hon. Kehinde Bello, a former PDP House of Representatives hopeful from Ijebu North / Ogun Waterside and Ijebu East, led the decampees to the Itoro Hall in Ijebu-Ode.
Members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) from Ijebu North, Ijebu-North East, and Ogun Waterside LGAs were also present.
A major ally of PDP gubernatorial candidate, Hon. Kehinde Ayodele Bello, said they opted to join the progressives and campaign for the victory of the APC in the next elections because they believe Abiodun is a better candidate than Adebutu.
Hon Bello, who described how the PDP used name substitution to keep him from running for the House of Representatives, said he and his followers resolved to abandon the umbrella party because it had no future for its members.
“I was robbed after winning the primaries. In Abuja, my name was changed. As a result, I’ve chosen to quit the party. I announced today that I am leaving the party. The governor understands what the people want and is providing their demands. “The APC is the people’s party, and we will endeavor to ensure its electoral triumph,” he said.
He went on to say that despite their efforts to establish the party, they were not given sufficient credit, and that they needed to find a platform that aligned with their individual and collective objectives.
Ayo Ogunfowora, the PDP chairman of Ijebu North East Local Government Area, also spoke, saying they had come to declare the death of the PDP in the area.
In her remarks, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Women Leader in Ijebu-Ode, Alhaja Kemi Agboola, said they were deceived by leaders of her former party, stressing that they have seen the light hence their decision to join the party in power.
Receiving the decampees on behalf of the APC national and state Chairmen, the State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, commended the former opposition members for making the right choice by joining the winning party, describing the PDP and others as parties without followers.
According to Governor Abiodun, since the APC controls the federal level, it is imperative to also control the state for synergy for the food of the state.
He said the party has been receiving big wigs from the opposition parties, commending them for leaving the ship before it finally sink.
The APC, the governor noted, is very big to accomodate as many people as possible, urging them not to feel like strangers, but integrate themselves and work for the success of the party at the forth coming governorship and House of Assembly elections.
