Hundreds of chieftains of the Social Democratic Party in Ondo State have dumped the party and joined the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state.
The development came barely three months before the governorship election coming up in the state on November 16.
At an event held in Ondo town, the headquarters of Ondo West Local Government Area on Saturday, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa welcomed the SDP defectors into the APC camp, asked members of the ruling party to embrace them as members of the party and not to discriminate against them.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tayo Oluwatuyi, the governor said the defectors had taken the right decision to join the ruling party, boasting that the APC was the only political party that could win the forthcoming election.
“They have come to us now, please our leaders, let us support them and their supporters. There should be no rejection because politics is about numbers and accommodation of different ideas. Let us all join hands together,” the governor said.
Speaking, the leader of the defectors and former SDP House of Assembly candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr Azeez Ademoloye, said they decided to join the APC because it was the only party that could win the coming governorship poll in the state.
Ademoloye said, “I contested on the platform of the SDP in the 2023 general elections as a House of Assembly candidate. I made several consultations and I realised that the APC is the only party that can take Ondo State forward.
“As you can see, I have hundreds of people if not thousands that are leaving our former party. So, I so much believe in this party and I know I will add a lot of value to it.”
In his remarks, the member of the House of Representatives representing Ondo West/ Ondo East Federal Constituency, Mr Abiola Makinde, said that the APC was excited about the massive defection to the party, saying it was evidence that the party was on the ground, making good impacts in the state.
