Defection: We won’t miss those who left our party — Lagos PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State says it is not bothered about Monday’s defection of some party leaders to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP Vice Chairman (Lagos Central), Mr Hakeem Olalemi, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday.

NAN reports that some PDP leaders, including the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Hakeem Amode, announced their resignation from the party on Monday.

Other prominent PDP leaders who dumped the party for APC were Alhaja Safurat Abdulkareem, a two-time State PDP deputy governorship candidate, a former State PDP deputy chairman, Chief Ola Apena.

Olalemi said the party would not miss the defectors as they were not active members of the party.

The PDP chieftain said the defectors had not been active in PDP in the last two years.

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“All the people that left had been inactive in the party in the past two years; we are not going to miss them at all.

“The party has since moved on. We are moving on without them. These people showed long ago they were not PDP members again, they are Jandor’s people and we have always known that they are APC.

“In Lagos PDP, we have long forgotten them. They had not been part of us for over two years. When last did you hear them defend PDP in Lagos State before their defection?

“It (their defection) is not news to us in Lagos PDP, we know they left since. We are not bothered a bit,” Olalemi said.

NAN reports that other PDP leaders who dumped the party on Monday for APC also included Prince Rufus Adeniyi, a former PDP Assistant State Organising Secretary (Lagos West) and Mr Jerry Afemikhe (Olori Odo), a former PDP House of Representatives candidate in Surulere Constituency I.

Some 2023 PDP Lagos State House of Assembly candidates who dumped the party included Messrs Keshinro Abiodun (Epe 1); Akeem Jinadu, (Eti-Osa 1) and Ibrahim Balogun (Kosofe 2).

Messrs Taofeek Obanikoro (Lagos Island 1); Tunde Pratt (Lagos Mainland 2); Saheed Aregbesola (Oshodi-Isolo State 2), Sulaimon Thompson (Surulere 1)and Taofeek Kuye ( Ajeromi-Ifelodun State 1) also dumped PDP for APC.

Mr Adeyemi Kazeem, former PDP Chairman, Ojo Local Government; Pastor Gbenga Ogunleye, media aide to the 2023 Lagos PDP Governorship Candidate, were also among those who defected. (NAN)