No fewer than 5,000 stalwarts and members of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State on Sunday defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress at an event held in Ilaro, the headquarters of Yewa South Local Government Area of the state.

The PDP members, who were mainly from the Ogun West Senatorial District, were officially received into the APC by Governor Dapo Abiodun, the governorship candidate of the ruling party, and the party chairman in the state, Yemi Sanusi.

Speaking at the event, the former state chairman of the PDP, Sikirullahi Ogundele, said he decided to lead other notable PDP leaders to the ruling party to escape “political slavery” in his former party, where he disclosed that he spent seven years.

He said the mass movement of governors and other prominent politicians away from the PDP was evidence of the deep crisis within the party, stressing that it would amount to political suicide for experienced party leaders like himself and others to remain in the party.

Ogundele explained that “The truth is that there is nothing like the PDP again in the state; what is left behind is an empty shell, the umbrella which is the symbol of the party has been shredded into pieces, and some of us have escaped so as not to allow the PDP dilapidated house to collapse on us.

“We have therefore moved away from the opposition party and embrace the APC, which we know is also the next victorious party in the state come 2027 elections. We are all ready to work diligently and deploy our wealth of experience to further mobilise for the APC landmark victory in 2027.”

Commenting on the controversy surrounding the origin status of the APC governorship candidate, Ogundele described such allegations as a recurring feature peculiar to governorship contests in the state.

He, however, urged party supporters to disregard claims questioning Adeola’s Ogun roots, recalling that similar allegations had been made against past governors of the state, beginning with Aremo Olusegun Osoba in 1999, Otunba Gbenga Daniel in 2003 and Ibikunle Amosun in 2011, stressing that they all won the elections despite the allegations.

“They said Amosun is from Benin Republic, Daniel from Delta State, Osoba from Osogbo. Despite that, they all emerged as governors of the state. So, what is going on against Yayi now is an indication that he will also win”, he stated.

Those who defected to the APC alongside their supporters included Chief Sina Adejobi, Mr Akinloye Bankole, former Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Evangelist Soji Eweje, former Chairman of Yewa North Local Government, Alhaji Ganiu Dada, popularly called Obanibasiri, and former PDP Woman Leader, Chief Kemi Adeyemi, among others.

Presenting the APC’s ‘broom’ symbol to the defectors, the party chairman in the state, Chief Yemi Sanusi, assured them that they would maintain their leadership status in the APC.

Sanusi further urged the defectors to work assiduously in their respective wards to ensure that the APC won all elective positions in the state in 2027.

In his remarks, Abiodun commended the new entrants into the APC for taking the bold step to join the ruling party, noting that they would be accommodated and fully integrated into the party.

Abiodun said, “I want to thank those who have seen the light and have decided to be part of the APC. We value your courage and decision to join forces with us in the ruling party as we are more delighted to have notable politicians from the state believing in the leadership of the APC government in the state.

“I assure all of you that you will all be accommodated in the scheme of things. So let us all work together as one united family and deliver a landmark victory for the APC in the 2027 general elections.”

Source: punchng.com

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The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said he is willing to reconcile with Governor Abba Yusuf.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Kwankwaso spoke in an interview with BBC Hausa Service published on Sunday, where he addressed issues bordering on his frosty relationship with the Kano governor.

Yusuf, who won his election in 2023 on the platform of the New Nigeria People’s Party, used to be a staunch supporter of the Kwankwasiyya movement, a group of Kwankwaso supporters.

However, their relationship turned sour after the governor defected to the All Progressives Congress, pitching his tent with the former Kano governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, regarded as Kwankwaso’s major political rival in the state.

During the BBC interview, Kwankwaso said he still has deep affection for Yusuf and can reconcile with him if he so wishes.

“I didn’t abandon him, didn’t ask him to go or dismiss him, I still like him,” he said.

Kwankwaso said he was not a vengeful person and always forgives those who wrong him.

He said he forgave Ganduje despite several wrongdoings meted out to him.

“How many times did I have issues with Ganduje? He challenged me on several occasions.

“In 2007, when we were in the Ministry of Defence, he was my special assistant, but they held meetings to bring me down because I contested them.

“Despite the misgivings, I put Ganduje forward and supported him, but he failed,” Kwankwaso said.

The NDC leader said he did not dictate or direct people on what to do, adding that he is still in politics and not an armchair politician.

“I’m not God. So, if Yusuf or whoever wishes to come, you need to have patience, have a large heart and compassion because not all will play along your line.

“You don’t expect everybody to act, behave or think like you do, because everyone has his way of reasoning, age, background and educational qualifications.

“So, if I’m not forgiving, we will not put Ganduje forward; the situation is the same with Yusuf.

“We don’t ask for a dime from each of them to get our endorsement and tickets; we don’t sell our candidature,” Kwankwaso said.

Source: punchng.com

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The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement, has demanded an immediate apology from the Nigeria Democratic Congress over statements by the party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, concerning its recently unveiled 59-member Presidential Campaign Council.

The movement also warned that it would not be intimidated or surrender its independence, insisting that it remained an independent political organisation with its own leadership, structure and internal processes.

The movement’s National Secretary, Saadatu Sani, gave the warning in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday.

The development followed the NDC’s decision to dissociate itself from the campaign council unveiled by the group on Thursday to mobilise support for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

The NDC, in a statement by Cleopas on Saturday night, said the council did not emanate from the party and should be disregarded.

Cleopas also warned that no individual, candidate or support group was authorised to constitute or announce a campaign structure in the party’s name without prior approval from its National Working Committee.

But responding in a statement on Sunday, Sani described the position of the NDC chairman as unfortunate and said it reflected a misunderstanding of the movement’s character and independence.

Sani urged Cleopas to familiarise himself with the NDC constitution before making assertions about the rights and responsibilities of the movement.

She said, “The OK Movement does not engage in such politics. We will not be dragged into a politics of personal insults, intimidation or defamatory exchanges. We will continue to educate rather than abuse. We will continue to defend the principles upon which this movement was established.

“The NDC national chairman is therefore called upon to withdraw the statements considered defamatory and to tender an immediate apology to the OK Movement and to our Director General, Hon. John Ughulu.”

The movement said it recognised the supremacy of political parties within their constitutional and statutory spheres and would campaign for Obi and Kwankwaso as well as NDC candidates that it resolves to support across the country.

However, the group insisted that such support did not make it a subordinate structure of the party.

“We will campaign for the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the party. We will campaign for candidates of the NDC Party across the country where the movement has resolved to support them.

“But we do not require the personal validation or approval of any individual before exercising our legitimate organisational functions,” Sani said.

According to her, the movement had developed a nationwide grassroots structure with an internal database representing approximately 2.5 million registered members and coordinators.

She emphasised that the movement was not a temporary support group created for the 2027 elections but an organisation with a long-term political vision.

The OK Movement secretary also rejected allegations concerning Ughulu’s involvement in the Lagos State primary and said they welcomed the opportunity to put their position on record.

Sani said they would not engage in what she described as personal insults, intimidation or defamatory exchanges, adding that they would continue to defend its members when their integrity was questioned.

Source: punchng.com

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