From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Scores of chieftains and members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Yewa South, Yewa North and Ado Odo Ota Local Government Areas, have dumped the party and collapsed the party structure in support of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Ogun West.
The defected party members were led to the official decamping ceremony held on Wednesday at the Asade Agunloye Ultra Modern Pavilion, Ilaro, by Tommy Akintomide and Temitope Akinoso, who was the ADC chairman in Yewa South LGA.
Addressing them, Senator Adeola expressed joy at the return of Akintomide to the Yayi Group and APC, adding that he was one of the elders of Yewaland that welcomed him back home to play politics over 10 years ago in Ilaro.
“My joy knows no bound today with the return of my father, Baba Akintomide to join other Yewa elders like Chief Mrs Iyabo Apampa, Hon Muftau Ajibola, Chief Olu Agemo, Hon Bisiriyu Popoola and others that we started together years back. I am also glad he is returning with his supporters who have equal rights as every other member of the APC,” he stated.
Senator Adeola, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, told the decampees that they are better off in a ruling party at the federal and state level than a fringe party not in government at any level in Nigeria.
He added that “with 16 northern governors rooting for a Yoruba man in APC to be president, only a cursed Yoruba man will say it is the turn of a northerner to rule again at the federal level.”
The senator called for massive votes for all the APC candidates in this year’s election including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as President and Dapo Abiodun as governor, saying that on his part he would continue to serve as he has demonstrated if elected as a senator for the Ogun West.
In their respective remarks, Akintomide and Akinoso said declaring support for Senator Adeola of the APC is the best way to go in this election in the interest of Yewaland and Ogun West.
They pointed out that majority of the decampees were leaders across the wards and they intended to show their true numbers during the proposed campaign tour in Ilaro.