By Akeem Abas
Aggrieved with the outcome of Friday Governorship primary on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Adebayo Adelabu, on Sunday announced his defection from the party.
Adelabu, also a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said he was taking all his supporters across the 33 local governments in the state to the new party, not yet disclosed.
The aspirant said he took the decision at an enlarge meeting of his mandate group held at his campaign office in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the Sen. Ayoade Adeseun and other leaders presided over the meeting.
Adelabu and many other aggrieved aspirants, had described the last APC primaries as “a charade”, alleging that the delegates list used was compromised.
He said that no amount of intimidation, threat or harassment could stop him from his passionate ambition of revolutionising the political, social and economic landscape of the state.
According to him, all I can tell the whole world for now is that I am going to contest in the 2023 general elections as a governorship candidate, no matter what.
“No amount of intimidation, threat or harassment can stop me from my passionate ambition of revolutionising the political, social and economic landscape of Oyo State through machinery of government.”
Adelabu said that he was already in consultation with some political parties which would be unveiled as soon as possible.
In his remarks, Adeseun said they were ready to follow Adelabu to any political party where their dream of serving the people of the state would be actualised.
Adeseun, a former APC senatorial aspirant, assured Adelabu of their wholehearted support in whichever party they eventually moved to.
“We can’t continue to condone the excesses and impunity of these people, whose stock-in-trade is to hijack all about. We are the progressives and we will teach them politics,” he said.
Also, Dr Olusola Ayandele, Chief Kunle Sanda, Alhaji Isiaka Alimi, Chief Goke Oyetunji, Hon. Gunju Ojo and Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye in their separate remarks, declared their readiness to dump the APC.
They also pledged their unflinching support toward the actualisation of Adelabu’s governorship ambition in any of the political parties they agreed to join.