Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
No fewer than 6,000 members of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun East senatorial district, on Monday, dumped their parties for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The defected politicians, led by an erstwhile staunch member of AD, in Ijebu Ode, Abayomi Mighty, was officially received into ADC by the Ogun East Senatorial chairman of the party, Ladi Odujirin, at the event held at the Ijebu Ode campaign office of Deji Ashiru, ADC Ogun East senatorial aspirant.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Mighty, disclosed that they defected to their new party because of ADC’s ideology of togetherness and the integrity of key figures in the party.
He noted that while AD was still being run on old ideas, PDP and APC have proved to be two sides of a coin, hence, the defectors’ resolve to join ADC, which according to him, remained the party to beat in 2019.
Mighty, who was once a Nigerian Youth Ambassador to the United Nations, equally mentioned opportunities offered youths by ADC, as another major reason for their defection.
READ ALSO: Senator advocates project continuity in gernance
Addressing the new party members, ADC senatorial chairman in Ogun East, Odujirin, assured them of level playing field. He explained that the party was open to any individual or groups who crave for good governance.
Odujirin, who expressed confidence that the party will win the governorship of Ogun State in 2019, however, enjoined the new members to continue to mobilize and garner support for ADC, ahead of the next general elections.
In his remark, the Ogun East senatorial aspirant of the party, Deji Ashiru, said his aspiration was informed by his desire to engender meaningful development in Ogun East, via what he termed “quality legislation”.
He disclosed that he chose ADC ahead of two top political parties in the country, to actualise his aspiration because the party’s ideology was in tandem with his core values, which he listed as integrity, service, humility, accountability, and excellence.
Ashiru, who bemoaned the deplorable conditions of roads within Ijebuland, said if elected senator, he would facilitate more developmental projects to Ogun East.