From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
A former member of House of Representatives, and former Commissioner for Youth and Sports in Oyo State, Dapo Lam-Adesina, has dumped the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The son of former governor of the state, the late Alhaji Lam Adesina, who administered the state from 1999 to 2003, had defected from APC to ADC prior to the 2019 general elections when he could not secure the ticket to return to the lower chambers of the National Assembly to represent Ibadan North East/South East Federal Constituency. He, however, secured the ticket on the platform of ADC, contested and lost.
His words: “I am happy to be back to APC. For me, it is a great homecoming. Like I have said, I have told our leaders who spoke to me, let us address our problems once and for all. Sometimes, one should be careful when elders are talking to you. The whole thing started when the elders started coming to my house. It became so embarrassing and as a young person who knows and appreciate the essence of elders. And if an issue gets to the extent of elders coming to plead with you in your house, then someone has to take it easy.
“They have assured us that some of the things that we were aggrieved about would be resolved. I believed that they will keep to their words. But more importantly, I was brought up by a father who knows the essence of elders. Normally, they should have abandoned me and say since my father is no more alive, and if people realised that they have made mistakes and they started coming to my house, who am I? So, it is reasonable for me to start looking towards the things that they are saying.
“The job for us is now to start visiting a few of our supporters who are still aggrieved with what happened that made us leave. Although, over 95 per cent of our supporters agreed to the return, we will still go after the remaining few because we have always been together through thick and thin.
“It actual became embarrassing when elders who are okay enough to father you start coming to your house to plead with you on the same issues, matter and topic and I’m sure if people still hear that I am adamant, they will begin to say why am I proving so difficult and arrogant. So, it takes a bit of wisdom to realise that at that point, if people have started thinking in line of what you are capable of doing and they start coming to you, as a young man, you should be wise.”
Dapo Lam-Adesina was received into APC by some chieftains of the party, including Alhaji Audu Marafa, Kayode Adanla, Kehinde Subar, Shina Alabi, Akeem Olatunji, Biodun Adeyemo and Lowo Obisesan, who had also held various positions in the past administration, ranging from local government chairmen, commissioners, and so on.
The Secretary, APC Caretaker Committee in the state, Mojeed Olaoya. After receiving Dapo Lam-Adesina back to the party, led him to re-register as a member of the party. The party also registered his supporters that defected with him to APC.