The membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Oke-Ogun, Oyo State has got a boost as thousands of members of the All Progressives Congress, APC and Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, defected to the party.
Those who defected are from Itesiwaju/ Iwajowa/ Kajola/ Iseyin Federal Constituency.
The defectors who were led by a renowned grassroots politician, Chief Basiru Ahmed Aranse, described their defections as homecoming.
The state Publicity Secretary, Engr. Akeem Olatunji, in a statement, said the former APC and ZLP members were received by party chairmen and leaders of the PDP in the federal constituency.
Some of the party leaders that received them were Alhaji Azeez Akodudu; Mr Ojebiyi Johnson; Mr Musa Salahudeen; Chief O.K. Salam; Chief Ojewumi; Baba Ige (Komu); Alhaji Muraina Siaba and many others.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Hon. Ayansiji, compared their sojourn in APC to that of the Israelites in Egypt.
He said they found it difficult to cope with barrage of deceit employed by the leadership of the party in the state as against the tenets of “Omoluabi”.
Also speaking, both Alhaji Basiru Ahmed Aranse and Hon Banimore, called for the special intervention of Governor Seyi Makinde, on the neglect of Oke-Ogun area by the immediate past administration of former Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
They lauded Makinde for considering Engr. Rauf Olaniyan worthy as his deputy, pledging their unalloyed support and loyalty to him.
They also praised Alhaji Kunmi Mustapha-led Oyo State PDP.
An elated Oyo State PDP Chairman, Alhaji Kunmi Mustapha, admitted the political sagacity and strong political structure of Alhaji Aranse-led APC and that of ZLP defectors, describing their coming into the PDP as the end of APC in the four local governments that make up the federal constituency.
He further enjoined the decampees to be of good conduct and join hands with the leadership of the PDP at the ward, local and state level in order to give a boost to Governor Makinde’s drive to make PDP the preferred party by the people of the state.
