Adekunle Akinlade, the anointed candidate of former Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria on Friday, officially joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to form an alliance with Ladi Adebutu, the PDP governorship candidate in the state.
Gatekeepers News reports that Akinlade is said to be joining PDP to fly as the running mate of Adebutu in the Ogun 2023 governorship election.
Akinlade, the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, in the 2019 general election, had last week dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). This comes after the sitting Governor, Dapo Abiodun swept all the valid votes at the party’s governorship primary ahead of the 2023 general election.
The former lawmaker who contested in the primary election cited injustice on the part of the National Leadership of the APC as the basis for his resignation from the party.
Adebutu and PDP stakeholders in the state received Akinlade and some supporters of Amosun at a welcome ceremony held at the Ogun PDP Secretariat, IBB Boulevard, Magbon, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
It was gathered that Akinlade had applied for waivers from the National Working Committee, NWC, to allow him to contest the election with Adebutu.
Earlier, Amosun, a senator representing Ogun Central said he won’t stop any member of his camp from defecting to another party.
Similarly, Amosun blamed his stance on what he described as injustice in the ruling APC.
The former governor, however, restated his commitment to the ambition of the presidential candidate of the APC – Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Those expected to join Akinlade in the PDP include the former member of the House of Representatives in Obafemi/Owode Federal Constituency, Mukaila Kassim; former Chairman of Ado-Odo Ota Local Government, Rotimi Ramoni; and former Deputy Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Tola Banjo.
A governorship aspirant on the platform of APC at the just concluded primaries, Biyi Otegbeye, is also expected to join the defecting team.
During the 2019 election, Adebutu supported Akinlade, following the adoption of the late Senator Buruji Kashamu as the governorship candidate of the PDP in the State.
