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With few days tonthe governorship and House of Assembly elections, palpable apprehension has enveloped the Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as leaders and members of five popular groups within its fold has abandoned it for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
Recently, there have been intense horse-trading between the PDP and APC in Oyo State as the two major political parties engage themselves in superiority battle, especially as the next phase of the 2023 general election draws closer and in spite of the outcome of the presidential and national assembly elections of February 25, which favoured the APC more than the ruling PDP.
Among the different pro-PDP groups which mobilised their respective members to the Oke Ado Secretariat of Oyo APC on Monday for formal defection and official declaration of support to the gubernatorial ambition of Senator Teslim Folarin are Omititun Youth Vanguard led by Comrade Sanyaolu Adeyemo, GSM Marines being coordinated by Comrade Yemi Oyebamiji, All Youth Grand Alliance under the leadership of Isamotu Twins, IBK Vanguard of Mr Ibukun Olu-Afolabi and another group, The Youth Advocate, led by Comrade Afolami Afolabi.
Speakers from each of the groups did not mince words in expressing their regret for supporting Makinde before, during and after the 2019 election, which enabled him to emerge the executive governor of the state. They explained that they left the PDP when it was clear that a better alternative existed in the APC, which has retained power at the centre and has been positioned to dislodge the incumbent PDP government from office through democratic means on Saturday.
While welcoming the defectors, the state chairman of APC, Hon. Isaac Omodewu, eulogised them for taking a bold step “by jumping out of the sinking PDP boat at the time and also for identifying the APC as the right alternative.”
“Oyo APC is the Noah’s ark of our contemporary Nigeria and anyone who looks away from the broom party is doing himself a lot of harm than good. We have found that your respective groups are populated by more than seven thousand people and we are using this medium to encourage you to use your strength in favour of the APC come Saturday,” Omodewu said.
Also speaking, the state secretary of APC, Alhaji Tajudeen Olanite, and APC vice chairman in Oyo Central, Hon. Joshua Oyebamiji, charged the new members to put the memory of whatever they went through in the PDP behind them and focus their attention on massive mobilisation of the good people of the state to vote the candidates of the APC in te forthcoming election, promising that all their desires would be met in the government of the broom party at the centre and in the state if elected.
APC chieftains at the event include Alh. Olalekan Busari, Mrs Taiwo Moteleola, Princess Adenike Adebowale and Olawale Sadare.
Among those who led the defectors are Mr. Adedayo Ojo, Engr. Festus Adefemi, Comrade Olayiwola Adesanmi, Mrs Tosin Oladokun, Comrade Wale Popoola, Mr. Lanre Yusuff, Mr. Abiodun Abdullahi, Taiwo Adedeji and Adesola Musibau.