Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
Ahead of the 2023 general election, some ward chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Saki West Local Government Area of Oyo State, alongside thousands of their supporters have dumped the party for the Accord Party.
The defectors, led by their leader, Hon. Abdulsalam Rafiu Arikewusope, publicly announced their defection from PDP to the Accord Party at an event held in Saki in the Oke Ogun area of the state.
Arikewusope, who was also the PDP chairman of all the 11 ward chairmen in the local government, while speaking on behalf of others, said their decision was informed by the yearnings, aspirations and interests of the majority in Oke-Ogun residents.
According to him, they have all unanimously identified with the liberation mission of the Accord Party’s senatorial candidate in Oyo North, Hon. Shina Peller, adding that the party is the only formidable political party to reckon with not only in the senatorial district but all over the state.
Arikewusope added that they see Peller as a young, vibrant, fearless and grassroots-oriented politician who is an advocate of bottom-to-top approach to governance, noting that they are confident that he will intensify efforts in bridging the gap between the government and the grassroots if elected as a senator come 2023.
The state Chairman of the party, Prince Felix Kolade Ojo, who welcomed the defectors, appreciated them for believing in the party as one through which liberation mission can be actualized, stating that the party is one which embraces internal democracy and always give all members sense of belonging irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliation.
Peller, in his own remarks, lauded Arikewusope and other defectors for their bold decision, describing it as a very courageous move driven by the desire for the development of the Oke Ogun area.
He then assured the new members that they have made the right decision, while expressing confidence that the party will be victorious in the 2023 general election particularly in Oyo North and by extension the state at large.
