A former two-term state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, Chief Ropo Adesanya, at the weekend dumped the party for All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ijan-Ekiti, Gbonyin Local Government of the state.
At a ceremony held at Ijan Ward secretariat, Mr. Adesanya with hundreds of his supporters were received to the party by the Ekiti South Senatorial Chairman of APC, Mr Kayode Babade, in company of other party leaders across the state.
Gbonyin Local Government Leader, who is also the Chairman of Afenifere in Ekiti State, Chief Dapo Awojolu, praised the ex-PDP chairman for leading Ijan Ekiti people out of darkness to the light as represented by APC.
While urging members to always have positive attitude to their party for strength and growth, he appealed to the people to always pray for President Muhammadu Buhari to succeed in redirecting Nigeria to the path of development and prosperity.
Babade urged members to start preparing for the local government election by organizing themeslves at the unit level, saying the local government poll represented an opportunity to prove the new energy the party had gained by becoming the first opposition party to defeat a sitting government in the history of Nigerian politics .
While commending Ijan-Ekiti political leaders, including Aderemi Ajayi and Paul Abegunde for their feats in rallying members for success in previous elections in the town, Adesanya said he had abandoned PDP long time ago over thuggery, brigandage and deceit of a one-man party in the state.
Mr. Adesanya explained that his conscience will not allow him stay in a party that exists for the pleasure of one man while Ekiti people suffer, adding that the crooked politics played by some individuals who think less about the growth and development of the youth and welfare of the elderly people was not what Ekiti people needed to grow the state, which he said was in desperate need of socio-economic development for the happiness of all.
“Ekiti people have seen enough deceit and planlessness of the PDP as exemplified by the current administration. I have my name to protect. That is why I am joining honest and decent Ekiti people to chart a new course for the development of our dear state”, Adesanya said.
“Any political association you can’t find Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Asiwaju Segun Oni, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Senator Gbenga Aluko, Chief Awojolu, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua, Ayo Arise, Senator Tony Adeniyi, Aderemi Ajayi, Bimbo Daramola, Femi Ojudu, Opeyemi Bamidele, Bisi Egbeyemi and where Babade and Taiwo Olatubosun, among several other decent Ekiti politicians are running away from, we should know that such a political party exists for motives different from Ekiti development”.
He assured Ijan people of mass mobilisation and participation for the success of the party in Gbonyin Local Government and in the state at large, even as he urged people of the local government to be prepared for aggressive unit mobilisation and meetings to strengthen the party for future elections.
