By Our Correspondent
Reactions have continued to trail the Friday defection of Adekunle Akinlade, the governorship candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) in the 2019 election in Ogun State.
Akinlade who following his defection was announced as the deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of next year’s election, said he decided to make the move in the interest of the State.
While accepting to run on the same ticket with Adebutu, Akinlade said his decision to join the PDP was not an easy one to take, but the sacrifice must be made.
“It might not be the most popular decision to take, but I believe it is absolutely necessary. Where we have found ourselves today in Ogun State needs that every sensible indigene of this state must be ready to make sacrifice,” Akinlade said.
The former House of Representatives member recalled how Adebutu stood by him when he contested in 2019, saying “We will do everything we can to make sure that this party becomes victorious in 2023.”
Akinlade stressed that “we will work morning, afternoon and night; we will work round the clock. We have done it before under 90 days, now we have seven months to do this (campaign).”
The Ipokia-born politician rallied support for Adebutu when he declared that “I have sat down with everybody. I know my role as the deputy governor. I will stand with you, I will stand by you and I will stand behind you.”
But reacting to the development, the Ogun State chapter of All Progressives Congress APC described it as good riddance to bad rubbish.
The reaction to the defection was contained in a statement by the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Tunde Oladunjoye.
Oladunjoye said: “Our attention has been drawn to the reported decamping of a former House of Representatives member, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade, from our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his spurious claim that ‘injustice’ by the APC forced him to take this latest decision.
“Ordinarily, we would not have reacted if not for the fact that Hon. Akinlade, who once used the platform of APC to represent the Egbado South/Ipokia Federal Constituency of Ogun State in the House of Representatives, cast aspersions on our great party while lamely justifying his long expected departure.
“It should be noted that we are not in any way surprised by this latest course of action by Hon. Akinlade. His body language and series of clandestine activities had hitherto given him and his well known sponsor away. He once left the APC in 2019 to contest the gubernatorial election of Ogun State on the platform of now defunct Allied Peoples Movement (APM); and suffered excruciating defeat despite being backed by powerful state machinery. Although he claimed to have returned to the APC after his loss to Governor Dapo Abiodun at the polls, he was more remembered for playing politics of division in the party rather than contributing to its progress.
“That he has again left the APC is indeed, a good riddance. And that he plans to run as a deputy governorship candidate also revalidates our position that Akinlade has never being a governorship material field the gateway state. That a 2019 governorship candidate has reportedly decide to run as a deputy to a 2019 governorship aspirant, shows a very desperate ambition to return to public office after four uneventful years in the National Assembly.
“We insist that Hon. Akinlade has never been a loyal party man. He worked against the interests of APC and it is generally believed within the party circles that he will not hesitate to re-enact his morbid hostility at the slightest opportunity. Recall that as the APM governorship candidate, Hon. Akinlade signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the factional governorship candidate of PDP, Ladi Adebutu, ahead of the March 9, 2019 governorship election. This MoU highlighted power sharing deals between the parties as well as the political appointments and infrastructural projects of interest, all in a desperate bid to stop the emergence of Prince Dapo Abiodun as Governor.
“Now that Hon. Akinlade has jumped ship for the second time, is it now clear that his decision might be a move to renew the ill-fated 2019 APM/PDP alliance for the 2023 project? If indeed he was a party man, Hon. Akinlade ought to have remained in the party and work in tandem with teeming loyal members for the electoral success of APC in 2023.
“However, we acknowledge the fact that political association is about free entry and free exit. There is no compulsion in membership. We can only wish Hon. Adekunle Akinlade well in future endeavours. He may have left the APC, but thousands of willing individuals, have freely embraced and are still joining the membership of our great party. Therefore, Ogun APC will not miss serial defectors.”
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