The Lagos State Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka, and some other state executive members have dumped the party and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Adeyinka, who led about 15 other party executives to the main opposition party on Monday, said that the decision was based on personalities with the tickets of the PDP in the state.
According to her, the group consulted widely before settling on the PDP, having considered the reality on the ground.
She said they also considered some personalities in the party, like Funke Akindele, the Lagos PDP Deputy Governorship Candidate.
“We are proud of this and find it convincing.” PDP has a lot of attractions.
“People like Funke Akindele serve as role models for us. She likes us as youths; she is accessible and has a young mind. She has impacted the system in Nigeria by creating employment for Nigerian youths.
“She (Akindele) is doing wonderfully well, and she is a sellable youth. She is a voice for women as well as the Nigerian youth.
“Even without meeting her in person, she (Akindele) is motivating. We want to join forces with an entity like that,” Adeyinka said.
Adeyinka added that the group was also attracted to PDP because of the likes of Mr. Wellington Bankole (Banky W), the PDP House of Representatives’ candidate for the Eti-Osa Federal Constituency.
“Those are people we want to reckon with because for Nigerian youth to be able to speak and make an impact, we have to come together as one force.” We need a force to change the status quo.
“We want a Lagos for all, not just a few.” We want a Lagos that works for everyone. We want to kill the system of godfatherism that puts our lives in danger.
“We need to find the right direction; we have a torch in PDP.” not because it is PDP, but because we have people of like minds there like Dr. Abdul-Azeez Adediran and others.
“We were not paid to do this or under pressure.” It is high time for Nigerian youth to get involved.
“We want to be able to elect people into office because they merit it, not because the system put them there,” she added.
Receiving the decampees at the PDP candidate’s Liberty House in Ikeja, Mr. Philips Aivoji, the Lagos State PDP Chairman, expressed delight with the defectors and commended them for their courage and conviction.
“I appreciate your courage. You have come to the right party. I thank you for identifying with our candidate. What I can assure you is that there is no level you cannot aspire to in PDP.
Read also: Lagos PDP Funke Akindele campaigns in Alimosho
“We have broken the jinx of godfatherism.” Let others rise up and join us and rally around PDP together to rescue Lagos,” Aivoji, who handed the party flag to defectors, said.
Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran, the Lagos PDP Governorship Candidate, also spoke, noting a similarity between his aspirations and those of the defectors.
He urged them to hit the ground running to rescue the state.
Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, said that he was committed to bringing a breath of fresh air into the state’s governance and making the wealth of the state work for all and not just some individuals.
“This is the way to go. It is about time we did it differently so that we could get different results. We need to combine forces and confront the status quo,” he said.
Adediran immediately appointed Adeyinka as one of his campaign spokespersons in the state.
Some of the excos who decamped along with Adeyinka include Akinbode Oluwamayowa (State Secretary), Motunrayo, Olajitan (Chairman, Alimosho LGA), and Perpetual Kamsi (Organising Secretary).
Others include Tolulope Osundeluse (a woman leader), Oluwakemi Balogun (assistant secretary), Michael Egberinde (a youth leader), and Mariam Oba (a youth leader in Alimosho LGA).
