The Lagos State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has described some members of the party who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as failed politicians, who were no longer irrelevant in the party.
Last week, some chieftains of PDP and their supporters formerly joined the APC and were received by leaders of the party, while they were handed the APC flag at the party’s secretariat in Ogba, Ikeja.
The defecting chieftains are former Minister of Works and Housing, Adeseye Ogunlewe, and his son, Moyo; a former PDP leader in Ikeja constituency Mutiu Okunola; Alhaji Raman Falawe (Lagos Island); Jebe Dayo (Mushin), and Adeoye Shamolu (Ojo).
Others included Jaiye Agoro (Lagos Mainland); Sukanmi Fabiyi (Apapa), and Arisekola Afeez (Accord Party, Mushin).
The defecting chieftains had said they defected to the APC with their supporters to change the narratives.
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However, speaking in an interview with Business day, Monday, Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the state, Taoffick Gani, said the party was not bothered about the defection of the chieftains and their supporters because they had only gone back to where they came from.
Gani said the former members did not understand the essence of party politics and were only fighting for their selfish interests.
According to him, “All the people who defected to the APC don’t know why they belong to a political party in the first place. They are irrelevant and six of the people who joined the APC where originally in AD before they joined us. The last one was lucky to get our party ticket and contest election in the last general elections,” he noted.
“They joined the APC because of what they would eat; we would bound back to win elections in the state,” Gani said.
Speaking further, he said the popularity of the APC in Lagos State was waning because of the poor performance of the incumbent administration, stressing that the party would lose the 2023 general elections in the state.
Gani noted that PDP in the state had put behind past election failures and was repositioning towards success in the 2023 general elections.
“The APC is in the drowning party, which is becoming unpopular in Lagos State. Anybody who knows what is happening knows that very soon they would not be able to win elections in Lagos State.
“We are not surprised they have left; we are working to harmonise all positions and ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“We also have some people from APC joining us, we are currently working with their bigwigs on how to win the state in 2023,” Gani added.
