A former deputy governor of Osun State and candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2018 governorship election in the state, Senator Christopher Iyiola Omisore, Monday defected to All Progressives Congress (APC).
Omisore, who was the governorship candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in 2014, joined the party as he registered and collected his APC membership card in his country home in Ile-Ife.
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The former deputy governor dumped PDP before the party’s primary election for the 2018 gubernatorial election in Osun State. He joined SDP a few days before the governorship election and came third with over 118,000 votes.
Regarded as one of the strong politicians in Osun State, Omisore aided the victory of the APC candidate in the 2018 election, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, when he supported his candidature during a rerun.
Analysts in the state believe that his defection to APC will boost the chances of the party in the next general elections in the state.
Our correspondent reports that after he registered as an APC member, Omisore left without speaking to journalists.
In his remarks, Osun Deputy Governor Benedict Alabi said it gladdened his heart that Omisore, an erstwhile deputy governor of the state, had joined APC.
Alabi said that Omisore had since 2018 decided to team up with the APC.
“His (Omisore’s) support has brought progress and development to Ile-Ife which will also attract more infrastructure,” he said.
The APC chairman in the state, Prince Gboyega Famodun, said the defection of Omisore signified the beginning of a new era in the state.
Contacted, the PDP in Osun State said the formal defection of Omisore to APC did not constitute any threat to the party.
The Chairman of PDP in the state, Soji Adagunodo, in a telephone conversation with Daily Trust, claimed that Omisore worked against PDP in the last election but the party performed well.
“Senator Omisore has been working with APC. He worked with APC in the last election. Despite that, we won the election before they used ‘remote control’. We will win the next election despite Omisore’s defection to the APC,” he said.
