A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State, Babatunde Onakoya, has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party with his loyalists.
Onakoya, an ally of former governor of the state, Ibikunle Amosun, popularly called Debasco led his group known as Debasco political group into the PDP.
Onakoya and his followers officially joined the party on Wednesday at an event held in his Atiba residence in Ijebu Ode.
Debasco disclosed that he was forced to leave the ruling party because of the unsettled rift in the party.
Onakoya, who used the occasion of his 69th birthday to join the opposition party, said that though Amosun and the incumbent governor, Dapo Abiodun, are his brothers, he has no choice than to leave the ruling party due to the lingering crisis in the party.
Speaking before handing over the PDP flag to Onakoya, the Ogun PDP Chairman, Sikirulahi Ogundele, disclosed that people are daily trooping into the opposition party because it is so glaring that the ruling party has failed woefully both at the state and national level.
Ogundele disclosed that just last Friday, over 10,000 people defected into PDP in the state saying that even before the 2023 general elections people have made up their minds to end the hardship foisted on them by rejecting the APC.
He described Onakoya as a big fish and another influential political leader in Ogun East who is coming into the opposition party with over 5,000 followers.
Making his remarks at the event, the 2023 governorship candidate of the party for the state, Ladipupo Adebutu, described PDP as the only party that is committed to saving the country from its woes.
He said, “It is however becoming so glaring that come 2023, the party is returning to the Governor’s Office, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta to continue its good works.”
Adebutu lauded Onakoya for being courageous enough to leave APC with his followers put at over 5000 to team up with PDP whose sole aim is to wrestle the people of the state from the insensitive government of APC.
Speaking earlier, Segun Oyesanwo, Head of Media of Debasco Group, in his welcome address disclosed that the choice of PDP as the party to join was influenced by the commitment of the party to always prize citizens’ welfare above any other considerations
Oyesanwo said, “In Debasco group, we are also of the strong opinion that if someone from Remo land in the person of Governor Dapo Abiodun starts something and another person from Remo land, that is Hon Ladipupo Adebutu who is also from Iperu like the sitting governor finishes the assignment, there is no crime here and that is why all of us in Debasco group are ready to work for the emergence of Hon Ladipupo Adebutu as the next governor of the state come 2023.”
Onakoya also used the medium to distribute empowerment tools like grinding machines, generators, dryers, clippers among others to party members.
