Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Shina Peller, alongside thousands of members of the Accord Party (AP) in Oyo North senatorial district, Oyo State, yesterday defected to the People Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
He was formerly received by the state Governor, Seyi Makinde, who was represented by his Deputy, Bayo Lawal, at Ode-Oba, Iseyin in Iseyin Local Government Area of the state.
Peller who represented Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa/Kajola federal constituency between 2019 and 2023, while addressing his teeming supporters across the 13 local government areas of the senatorial district and PDP bigwigs attributed his decision to defect to the party because of the exemplary leadership quality of Makinde.
He said: “When I wanted to contest the senatorial election in the All Progressives Congress (APC), they said we are too small but I thank God, today we are in the right party, a big party. If you look at the Nigeria of today, we are so endowed, but leadership is our problem.
“Nigeria is endowed with both human and natural resources but these resources have failed to translate to reality. So, there is no leadership when there is no leader. Makinde is visionary leader, that’s why I joined the party.
“I have seen the reason to align with the vision of Governor Makinde. There is no leadership when there is no vision. And we have seen good work he has done in this zone of Oke-Ogun. It has never happened in the history of Oyo North senatorial district. From Moniya to Iseyin; Oyo to Iseyin; Ogbomoso to Iseyin and so on. It has never happened before. So, if you have a visionary leader like him, you have to support him. That’s why we have decided to join Governor Makinde and PDP to move the state forward.”
The former lawmaker noted that it is good to go to where one is valued, stating that the PDP has shown that it values him and his teeming supporters with the governor working assiduously to deliver dividends of democracy to the people.
Further, according to him, “Our father has been clamouring for tertiary institution for the past 70 years and Makinde gave it to us and infrastructural facilities. So, I want to announce that thousands of Accord Party members in the 13 local government areas made up of Oyo North senatorial district are here.
“They are here to join the PDP. Wards Chairmen; Local Government Chairmen; women leader; and also senatorial district chairman are all here to defect to the ruling PDP because of the visionary leadership quality of Makinde. I want to appeal to other political parties to join us to move the state forward, and I pray that we will not regret it.
“Some people came and asked: Why do I want to join the PDP? And I said I needed power to move forward, I need power to progress, that’s why I joined the PDP.”
Makinde, while handing over the PDP flag to Peller, said: “You will not regret joining the PDP. Now that Peller has joined this party, we must not hear another party in Iseyin in particular, and in Oke Ogun in general.
“I want to advise our PDP executives in all the local government areas to cooperate with them. The ward chairmen, local government chairmen of our party should give them chance to operate. You should accommodate them because the local government election is fast approaching, so we should all join hands together to make sure that we clear all the 33 local government areas in the state.”
Dignitaries present at the event included the PDP South-West Chairman, Kamorudeen Ajisafe; the Lagos State PDP governorship candidate in 2023, Olajide Adediran (Jandor); former Minister of Power and Steel, Wole Oyelese; and former Oyo State PDP Chairman, Kunmi Mustafa.
Others included current member of the House of Representatives representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa/Kajola federal constituency in Oyo State, Abayomi Oyedeji; former Chief of Staff to late former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, Saka Balogun; Nureni Akanbi; Senator Gbenga Babalola; Ahmed Gbadamosi; Gbadebo Adetoro; Ali Oyedeji; the Special Adviser to Governor Makinde on Federal Constituency Matters, Dare Adeleke, and a host of others.
