Former Guber Aspirant, Commissioner, Council Chair Dump PDP in Ondo

 Fidelis David in Akure

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State yesterday  said it was not perturbed by the gale of its members’ defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political parties in the state.

This comes as another group of leaders and chieftains of the party in the state resigned from the party, citing party leadership crisis as their reason for resigning from the party.

The leaders are former governorship aspirant and council chairman in Ilaje local government, Mr Banji Okunomo, former Chairman of Okitipupa local government, Mr. Solomon Bitire, the Director General of the 2023 Presidential campaign council in Ilaje local government, Mr. Jossy Ehinmore, former counselor, Mr Malo Olorunwa, and former Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, OSOPADEC commissioner, Mr Bisi Ilawole.

Okunomo, who spoke on behalf of others on this development, said the decision was taken after different meetings were held with their followers, claimed that “this is only one of the many batches of ‘decampees’ set to leave the party in the next few days,” to dissociate themselves from the ill-conceived decision to challenge the 2023 presidential election results in court.

Meanwhile, last Thursday, some chieftains and leaders of the party, led by a former member of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Adeyinka Banso, left the PDP for the APC, citing leadership crisis.

However, reacting to the defection, the state Publicity Secretary of the Party, Mr. Kennedy Ikantu Peretei, explained that in the last eighteen months, same people have moved in and out of the PDP twice, which is a confirmation of their nomadic essence as politicians.

The party in a statement titled: “Ondo PDP Will Not Lose Sleep Over Serial Decampees,” noted that most of them who got promotions beyond their capacities by the PDP have consistently lost their Polling Units to other political parties during elections.

The statement reads: “The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Ondo State Chapter has received reports of some serial decampees leaving the party with equanimity. In the last eighteen months, these same characters have moved in and out of the PDP twice, which is a confirmation of their nomadic essence as politicians. Most of them who got promotions beyond their capacities by the PDP have consistently lost their Polling Units to other political parties during elections.

“They have always been trailed by failure in their opportunistic and self-serving inordinate ambitions that drive their insatiable desire for crumbs from the master’s table. To put the record straight, Banji Okunomo, Solomon Bitire and their gang of court jesters declared that the PDP was dead in Ondo South, shortly after the PDP Governorship primary election in 2020.

“They defected to the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) but shamelessly returned to PDP after their tragic outing that was a measure of their political relevance.

“In all honesty, why should the PDP lose sleep over the exit of such colourless, inconsequential and serial decampees? It won’t be any surprise if they are treated as political prostitutes wherever they may go. Our party can only wish them the best of luck in their sojourn. In any case, any time they wish to come back, our doors are open. Now that they have established that, they are political herdsmen,” the party added.