No fewer than seven hundred members of the Kwara state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Sunday decamped to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
The decampees who cut across several wards in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State made their decision known during a ceremony to welcome them to the PDP held in Omu-Aran, headquarters of the council on Sunday.
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Speaking during the event, a former House of Representatives member, Gbenga Makanjuola expressed gratitude to the decampees for finding PDP a party worthy to be associated with.
The former Chief of Staff to immediate past Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki assured the new defectors that the PDP will meet their demands and prioritise their welfarism.
He said the development was the outcome of several meetings held with them following the lack of trust and integrity in the leadership of their former parties and continuous internal crisis that relegated the interest of the members.
In her remarks on behalf of the decampees, a leader of the group, Alhaja Raliatu Yakubu told Daily Trust that “Our former parties are nothing but a sham.
“They lied to us to win back our support then and now they don’t care about our interest anymore. This decamping exercise to the PDP which is an effort to restore good governance that is presently missing in the state will show the APC our strength.
“Many of us here and others who are not part of this event are very ready to work in unity to get the PDP back to power in Kwara”, she added.
Alhaja Yakubu who described herself as the leader of one of the strongest mobilizing groups for the minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed in Omu-Aran, led other APC and ADC decampees to the event.
In his address, the PDP Chairman in Irepodun, Hon. Saheed Oyelowo said the event signals the imminent return of the PDP to power in Irepodun and the state.
“Our party was lied against in the last election to turn the masses against us. But now, the same masses have realized that the PDP is the party that truly have the best to offer them.
“These set of decampees and many others that are still coming have been able to differentiate between us and the other party who don’t have anything to offer. We are happy to have them back in our fold and together, we promised to work together to return their government to power come 2023 in Kwara state”, he noted.
But when contacted, a top aide of the Minister in Irepodun, Kayode Ogunlowo said although Alhaja Yakubu was formally with Alhaji Lai, “She has since left to join the Governor’s camp after the 2019 election.
