Ademola Babalola in Ibadan
Prominent leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State Saturday officially decamped to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at a colourful rally witnessed by the party’s National leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, three Governors and national and zonal executives of the party.
Leading the pack of the decampees was the former Governor of the state who was also the 2015 Gubernatorial candidate of the Labour party, Adebayo Alao-Akala. Other bigwigs who dumped the umbrella party for the broom party were a former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin; a former Deputy Governor, Taofeek Arapaja; a serving House of Representatives member, Segun Odebunmi, and the immediate past Chairman of the PDP, Yinka Taiwo.
Others include a former Chief Press Secretary, Kehinde Olaosebikan; former State Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Ademola Ojo, a former Speaker of the state house of Assembly, Asimiyu Alarape, Chief Adedeji Otiti, Brigadier-General Braimoh Yusuf (rtd), five serving state lawmakers and a former Secretary to the State Government, Ayodele Adigun.
The decampees who spoke one after the other, castigated their former party as rudderless, just as they maintained that APC was the party for the real change and socio-economic development of the state and Nigeria as a whole.
The decampees eulogised the State governor Abiola Ajimobi as ‘Mr. Transformer’, jinx breaker and most significant political leader of the state at the moment.
Tinubu, accompanied by both Osun and Ondo state Governors, Rauf Aregbesola and Rotimi Akeredolu respectively, said APC was on the path of becoming the only party in Oyo State.
According to Tinubu, the party had a stainless kitchen and was ready to accommodate as many cooks as possible because it had a variety of menu in the political kitchen.
Tinubu said, “We have a stainless kitchen and we can accommodate as many cooks as possible and because we have a variety of menu in the political kitchen of planning this future. We love those big wigs and we can accommodate them all. It is in the same forest that you find a hippo that you find an elephant and you will find a rabbit. In political platforms, you must look for the addition not the minus.
“You can see that the opposition has finished in Oyo State. It is finished for them all. Today is important for us because it is the birthday of Governor Abiola Ajimobi and things that have never happened in the history of Oyo State have started happening. Thank God for my friend, Alao-Akala, and the others for seeing the light. All of you that joined will also join in building the party. The APC house is great for all of us. We are proud of you for joining us. APC is the only progressive party in Nigeria and Africa.â€
Ajimobi described the rally as unprecedented that a former Governor, ex-Senate leader, a former Deputy Governor and a host of others were defecting into a ruling party at the same time. He congratulated the decampees and assured them of level-playing field in the scheme of things.
