As local council elections in Ondo state approach, some 203 members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday.
The defectors were members of a forum of former councilors and local government vice presidents who announced their defection in Akure.
Oyeyinka Akosile, the forum coordinator, led a crowd of defectors to the event.
He said they had waited too long in the opposition party before settling on the APC due to the “exceptional leadership of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.”
Mr. Akosile also expressed his gratitude to Mr. Akeredolu for his inclusive government and wished him a speedy recovery from illness.
He promised that the defectors would work tirelessly to make the APC a stronger party.
One of the defectors, Ogunniyi Taiwo, a former vice-chairman of the Odigbo LGA, said he was the only PDP holder who had not left the party since 2017 when he was elected.
In his response, APC State Chairman Ade Adetimehin, who received them, expressed his thanks to the politicians for choosing APC as their new political home.
He encouraged them to be exemplary leaders in their different neighborhoods of the state, emphasizing that the party belongs to everyone.
Adetimehin assured the defectors that they would not regret their decision, especially considering the wide support the party enjoys at both the state and national levels.
He urged new members to promote Governor Akeredolu’s achievements in their constituencies.
But the PDP has said it is not concerned about the defection of former members.
The PDP said its bosses who defected to other political parties were on a journey in search of political relevance or daily bread.
Party chairman Fatai Adams said many of the defectors would soon return to the party.
“What is happening is not strange. When a party loses a big election like the presidential election, such defections are likely to happen,” Adams said.
“Some leave and others enter. That is politics. Some of them are on a journey in search of political relevance or daily bread.
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“When the daily bread does not arrive, they will return. We have no reason to worry about desertion. What was the contribution of those defectors in the last elections? We will recover in the state.”
About the upcoming local government elections in the state, he said that the party had held its primaries to choose candidates for the polls.
He Ondo State The Independent Electoral Commission has set December 16 for local government elections in the state.
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