1,000 SDP, ADC Members Dump Parties, Back Oyebanji, Tinubu’s Presidential Ambition in Ekiti

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

Defection has hit the opposition parties in Ekiti State, as about 1,000 members of the SDP and ADC  at the weekend defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to work with the state Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, and ensure the realisation of the presidential  aspiration of  Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

This happened few hours after the Election Petitions Tribunal in Ekiti State upheld the victory of Governor Oyebanji and his Deputy, Chief Monisade Afuye, in the June 18, 2022, governorship election.

The defectors were mostly stalwarts of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Social Democratic Party(SDP) in  Ikere Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

They predicated their actions on their interest and willingness to join hands with the Oyebanji’s government to bring about meaningful changes and ensure victory for Tinubu in next year’s general election.

Spokesman of the defectors and former SDP Legal Adviser in Ikere LGA, Mr. Olatunbosun Asana, stated that he led hundreds of supporters of his former party  in Ikere constituency 2 into APC  to work for the success of the party’s  candidates in 2023.

Asana dispelled the insinuation that he defected to APC because of the tribunal judgement which upheld the election of Oyebanji.

According to him, “We came to support and enjoy dividends of democracy in APC. I personally observed that the present administration has what it takes to move Ekiti State forward, and we need to join hands to achieve its lofty dreams of ensuring economic prosperity for the people.”

Also, the ADC Chairman in Ikere LGA, Mr Lanre Adekogba, added  that he was captivated to joining APC owing to Oyebanji’s open-door policy and well encapsulated six-point agenda of his administration.

 Adekogba, who pointed out that Oyebanji had demonstrated that he had the interest of bringing  development, noted that the governor had spread the olive branch to those in opposition parties, including other stakeholders like traditional rulers and Ekiti diasporas to build a virile and economically buoyant state.

He expressed confidence in the ability of the APC presidential standard bearer, Tinubu,  to change the current economic and security problems that had  consumed many Nigerians.

Receiving the defectors, the Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Afuye, expressed joy that those who were formerly members of the APC in Ikere are back into the fold, promising that the party will accord  them equal opportunities as old members.

Afuye, represented by her Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Victor Adeniyi, charged the defectors to work for the success of APC candidates in 2023, saying the present administration is incurably committed to putting smile on the faces of youths, farmers and young graduates.