Adeleke’s loss becomes Oyetola’s gain as 10,000 PDP members defect to APC with fanfare, By KOLA OLABISI

The governorship aspiration of Senator Jackson Nurudeen Ifeanyi Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Osun State suffered a monumental devastating setback yesterday as no fewer than 10, 000 former leaders and members of the party from across the state defected into the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC).

The defection programme which took place with fanfare at the popular Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, the state capital, became carnival-like as the venue was filled to capacity by the decampees.

The subsequent effect of the event was the instant creation of a human and vehicular gridlock across Osogbo, the state capital.

The occasion became politically electrified and fun-filled as both the defectors and the old members of the party were exchanging banters and pleasantries in a convivial atmosphere amidst singing of patronizing political songs to eulogise Oyetola and the APC.

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Honourable Wale Ojo, the factional state chairman of the PDP; Hon Albert Adeogun, running mate to the PDP candidate in the 2018 governorship election in Osun State and former member of the House of Representatives; Ayodele Asalu(Asler), House of Representatives aspirant in Ede Federal Constituency; Soji Ibikunle, the former PDP stalwart in Odo-Otin Local Government Council Area of the state and Lanre Arogundade, led the PDP defectors into the APC.

The National Secretary of the APC, Otunba Iyiola Omisore, received the defectors into the party with an assurance that there won’t be room for discrimination against them in the party.

While also welcoming the PDP decampees, the state Governor Oyetola saluted their courage for taking a wise decision and the right alliance.

In Oyetola’s words:
I congratulate our friends and brothers who have made a critical decision for their political careers and fortunes.

“You have come at the right time and you have nothing to fear. You are already members, there will be no discrimination whatsoever. Senator Omisore is a testimony that our party values people of substance and gives a fair chance to all”.

All the decampees promised to add value to the re-election project of Governor Oyetola with all their God-given endowments by attracting, encouraging and facilitating massive votes for the governor during the July 16, 2022 governorship election in the state.

The decampees who in their various remarks disclosed that Oyetola has been performing wonderfully described the PDP as a serial loser which has nothing tangible or concrete to offer the people of Osun State.

They also accused a certain family in Ede of seizing the body and jugular of the PDP which has been perennially working against the success of the party.

The state chairman of the APC, Prince Gboyega Famodun; the State Campaign Director General of Governor Gboyega Oyetola Re-election Council, Senator Ajibola Bashir, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, the Right Honourable Timothy Owoeye and former state deputy governor, Otunba(Mrs) Grace Titi-Ponnle, welcomed the decampees and assured them of equal opportunities.

According to them: “We congratulate the defectors for making the right decision today and aligning with the right party. What is most important in any political foray is for a politician to make the the right decision and the right alliance”.

Information however, has it that the Osun State camp of the state chapter of the PDP was thrown into a confusion in Ede yesterday as the defection session was ongoing.

A credible source close to the Pathfinder faction of the PDP in Ede disclosed that the situation in the homestead of the Adeleke Dynasty could be likened to that of bereavement as blame games for those who might be responsible for the political tsunami against the PDP were the order of the day.

It was gathered that an emergency meeting was immediately convened at the home of the billionaire financier of the PDP candidate in the ancient town with a view to reversing the defection of the PDP decampees into the APC.

It was also authoritatively learnt that some principal members of the Pathfinder faction of the PDP were detailed and duly instructed to get in touch with some of the decampees through phone calls to see if the situation could be saved.

The naturally taciturn billionaire financier of Senator Jackson’s governorship election bid was said to be intuitively annoyed with her sister yesterday whom everyone was pointing an accusing finger to for bungling the political chances of her brother through brazen high-handedness and favouritism against the erstwhile PDP members who have ported to the APC.

It was learnt that the principal PDP defectors refused to pick the series of the phone calls made to them from Ede yesterday and also snobbed the accompanying promised pecuniary inducement, telling the embattled reactionary overlords that it was a train that has taken off that they were waving at.
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OLABISI is the Osun State APC chairman’s spokesman