Osun APC deputy chairman, 6,000 others defect to ADP

No fewer than 6,000 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, including its Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Azeez Adesiji, on Monday in Osogbo defected to the Action Democratic Party (ADP).
Adesiji, addressing newsmen at the ADP Secretariat in Osogbo, said that they left APC due to alleged impunity and undemocratic practices in the party.
He said that he led the defectors including 580 local governments executive officials and 5,620 wards executive officials of the party in the state to ADP.
Adesiji said that eight members of the APC State Executive Council (SEC) were also among the defectors.
They were Mr Ademola Bamidele, the State Auditor; Alhaji Sikiru Karim, Assistant Treasurer; Alhaji Rasheed Bakare, Assistant Secretary; and Mr Morakinyo Akinola, State Public Relations Officer.
Others were Mrs Idiat Bakare, Assistant Welfare Secretary; Mr Ogundare Babalola, Assistant Public Relations Officer; Mr Wole Ademola, Ex official; and Alhaji Tajuddeen Agbeti, Ex Officio.
According to him, in as much as we loved the party, which we contributed immensely to build in the past, we left the party due to nepotism, godfatherism, impunity and abandonment of party members.
“With the little aforementioned reasons, myself and others have chosen to follow the path of honour by resigning our membership of APC and move to vibrant and dynamic ADP.
“Of the 780 local governments’ executives in APC, 580 are moving with me, while out of 8,632 ward executives, 5,620 are joining the train to the new party,’’ he said.
In his remarks, Mr Toye Akinola, the ADP Chairman, said he was glad to welcome the defectors to the party.
Akinola said that with the calibre of APC members joining the party, victory was sure for ADP in the election.
“With this bigwigs from APC, victory is sure for us, because power of incumbency is no longer in the market. It is the people’s will that matters,” Akinola said.
In his reactions, Mr Kunle Oyatomi, Osun APC Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, said that the reasons given by the defectors were not convincing.
According to Oyatomi, if those defecting from the party cannot see anything good in what had happened in APC in the last eight years in Osun, that is too bad for them.
“They think claiming that they are leaving with the so-called 6,000 followers is going to make them form the next government in Osun. They are living in a fool’s paradise.
“We wish them all the luck they wish themselves, but we assure them that they will lose at the end of the game.
“We believe in the capacity of our governorship candidate, Gboyega Oyetola, and we believe he will surely win the election come September 22, ” Oyatomi said.
Alhaji Moshood Adeoti was the Secretary to Osun State Government (SSG) till July 23 when he resigned his appointment after he lost APC’s primaries to Oyetola, the Chief of Staff to Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
Adeoti, thereafter, defected from APC to ADP to actualise his governorship ambition.