In a significant boost to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, hundreds of chieftains of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) have defected to the ruling party, barely three months before the governorship election scheduled for November 16.
The mass defection took place at an event held in Ondo town, the headquarters of Ondo West Local Government Area, on Saturday.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tayo Oluwatuyi, welcomed the SDP defectors into the APC camp, urging members of the ruling party to embrace them as equals. “They have come to us now, please our leaders, let us support them and their supporters. There should be no rejection because politics is about numbers and accommodation of different ideas. Let us all join hands together,” the governor said.
The leader of the defectors, Mr Azeez Ademoloye, a former SDP House of Assembly candidate in the 2023 general elections, explained that they joined the APC because it was the only party that could win the forthcoming governorship poll in the state. “I contested on the platform of the SDP in the 2023 general elections as a House of Assembly candidate. I made several consultations and I realised that the APC is the only party that can take Ondo State forward. As you can see, I have hundreds of people, if not thousands, that are leaving our former party. So, I so much believe in this party and I know I will add a lot of value to it,” Ademoloye said.
The member of the House of Representatives representing Ondo West/Ondo East Federal Constituency, Mr Abiola Makinde, described the massive defection as evidence that the APC was on the ground, making good impacts in the state. The APC, he said, was excited about the development, which would further strengthen the party’s chances in the upcoming election.
The defection of the SDP chieftains to the APC is seen as a strategic move ahead of the governorship election, as the ruling party seeks to consolidate its hold on the state. With this development, the APC is poised to face the opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), in the November 16 poll.
