James Sowole in Akure
About 24 hours after four members of the Ondo State House of Assembly elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), another lawmaker yesterday dumped the former party for the latter.
The legislator who moved to APC is Hon Olusola Oluyede representing Ose state constituency.
The defection of Oluyede to the APC brought to 10 the number of the APC legislators in the 26-member assembly.
Both Oluyede and other four who decamped yesterday at a news conference formally announced their decisions on the floor of the assembly at a plenary presided over by the new speaker, Hon David Oloyelogun of Ifedore state constituency.
They all said their defection was due to the internal crisis rocking the PDP from the national to the local level.
The lawmakers said by being in the ruling party, they would be able to bring more dividends of democracy to their constituents.
At the plenary yesterday, only 13 members were loyal to the former acting speaker, Malachi Coker, were present while the other faction loyal to the former Speaker, Jumoke Akindele, stayed off.
Reacting to the two developments, the spokesman of the Akindele faction, Hon Siji Akindiose, said it is the right of any person be it lawmaker of not to associate with any group that he or she likes.
Akindiose, however, said the defection was done too early because the government was still new.
“This is a government that is just coming on board. What is it that attracted them to the party or the governor.
“It is not only when you are in the same party with the governor that you can serve the people.
“We have no mandate to oppose any government elected. We are just insisting that the right thing must be done.
“That somebody belongs to the APC does not mean that the person is more loyal to the government,” he said.
