A former Organizing Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, Hon. Mutiu Kunle Okunola on Tuesday said he dumped the PDP for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to support the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, if he decides to run for 2023 presidency.
He also said his defection has finally nailed the PDP in the state, declaring that Lagos is now a one-party state.
Daily Trust reports that Okunola was the PDP candidate for Ikeja Federal Constituency in the last election. He lost to APC’s James Faleke who had earlier defeated him in the 2015 general election.
However, few months after the election, Okunola dumped the PDP for APC, saying he was not ready to play “bad politics” hence his decision to pitch tent with APC. The state PDP has dismissed his defection as inconsequential.
Okunola formally registered with the APC today and he was handed his APC membership card.
Speaking with Daily Trust, the politician said he was motivated to join the APC “to give Tinubu the support he needs if he desires to contest the 2023 Presidency”.
He said Tinubu has worked hard for the country and deserves to be the next President at the expiration of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term.
According to him, the South having supported the north to get second term in the Presidency, deserves to get the slot in the 2023 election.
He said he joined APC only because of Tinubu, disclosing that though Tinubu has not made his intention known on the 2023 Presidency, he would begin a campaign tagged, “Tinubu 2023 not negotiable”.
“So I decamped not for any other thing but because of Tinubu so that I can put my strength to make the 2023 project for Tinubu a reality. I believe it is only Tinubu that has the capacity in the south-west to rule the country”, he said.
Okunola reiterated that his defection has sounded a death knell to the PDP in the state, saying he was a sole financier of the party. “PDP is now in the cooler”, he said.
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