No fewer than 3,000 members from the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Accord Party, AP, Labour Party, LP, and Social Democratic Party, SDP, decamped to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Olorunsogo local government area of Oyo State.
Leading thousands of members of four political parties to the APC in the council area, a medical practitioner and PDP chieftain, Dr. Usman Bolaji Abdulfatai (Ashfau), stated that they resolved to leave their respective parties to join the ruling APC as a result of good works of President Muhammadu Buhari in governing the country and as
well as Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state.
Other leaders of defectors were; a retired military officer, Sunday Alabi (old soldier), former secretary to the local government, Alhaji Jimoh Olajide (Oroo) and Hon. Seyi Bamikunle.
The decampees were from all the ten (10) wards in the local government area of the State.
The defectors who moved in thousands along the major roads, including; L.A Primary school road, Idigba, Ibukun Olu area and Kishi –Ilorin road in the headquarters of the Local government with victory songs, later assembled at NUD Primary School, Igbeti for their integration into the ruling party.
It will be recalled recently that President Buhari had declared that millions of Nigerian would soon join the ruling APC in order to record success for the party in the forthcoming general elections in the country.
But, the National Chairman of the PDP had berated the President Buhari over the statement, saying that the ruling party would soon be empty, adding that those relied upon by the president would soon leave the APC to join the PDP in a bid to wrest power from unperforming administration of Buhari.
Abdulfatai who said that defectors moved out of bondage of four political parties, describing the parties as moribund and noted that the achievements of APC in government of Oyo State nay Nigeria have silenced their former parties’ leader. He therefore urged other politicians that remain in the listed parties to park their things and join the progressive ruling party for the betterment of the country and her citizens.
Also speaking, Bamikunle and Sunday Alabi, disclosed that the need to leave their various parties was necessitated by the lack of focus, vision and internal democracy within their respective parties.
Earlier, the leader of the ruling party in the council area, Dr. Ahmed Ayinla, while receiving the decampees on behalf of the State Chairman of the party, Chief Akin Oke, at the integration of new members mini programme, noted that the event was remarkable for the the APC members and loyalists in the local government area and Oyo State in general, promising the new members that their interest would be jealously protected and they would not regret their coming to the APC.
He saluted the courage of the decampees to take the bull by the horn in dumping their former parties to join the progressive party for building of new Nigeria, urging the new and old members to work as a team for the success of the party in the future elections.
Other APC leaders who received the defectors were; former secretary to the local government, Hon. Festus Adediran, APC Chairman, Mr. Idowu Abdulwaheed, First council chairman of the area, Mr. Azeez Akanji and a party chieftain, Alhaja Oyinade.
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