The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran (Jandor), on Thursday suffered setback, losing 5,000 supporters from the Lagos4Lagos Movement to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State. The APC received 5,000 returnees from the PDP in Lagos on Thursday.
The Lagos4Lagos Movement led by Adediran decamped from the APC to the PDP in January.
The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, receiving the defectors, said that it was possible for anyone to be misled, but it would be foolishness to continue in a wrong direction after discovering the right path.
Hamzat, handing the APC flags to the decampees, commended them for retracing their footsteps to the APC, assuring that they would not regret their decision.
“The state is moving in a right direction. This is the right decision. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has the eye for talents and ability to manage people.
“This is the time for us to vote for someone that knows the way. It is good you retraced your steps. I must tell you that you have made the right decision.
“It is people that make towns, cities and countries great. I am excited that you have seen the reason to support Asiwaju,” Hamzat said.
The State APC Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, thanked the decampees for returning to the progressives family.
Ojelabi said that the APC-led administration in Lagos State had prioritised welfare of the residents and had improved infrastructure in the state.
“Thank you for finding it necessary to be part of the progressive family and process of developing Lagos state.
“You have taken a right decision by coming home to be part of the process. This is your party. You are not going to regret this step,” Ojelabi said.
The APC chairman urged residents of the state to use their votes to fast-track more progress and development in the state by voting APC candidates in the 2023 general elections.
Idowu Daramola, who led the decampees to the party, said that the group was happy to return to the APC.
Daramola also added that the emergence of Sen. Bola Tinubu as Presidential Candidate of the APC, equally changed the political equation, which made the group to retrace their steps to the ruling party to support Tinubu.
“This is a great opportunity for anyone that is a Lagos resident and the Yoruba nation to give support to Tinubu.
“We have told everybody that we needed to go back because we discovered that we were going in the wrong direction,” he said.
Other leaders of the decampees, Tunde Kazeem, the South Africa Coordinator, Ahmed Mefeola, Chairman, Jandor Legacy Forum, Kunle Dabiri, Adeola Osundairo, Jumoke Fakoya, Fredrick Falana and Temitope Adebanjo all pledged their allegiance to the APC.
The returnees arrived the APC Secretariat in white and pink T-Shirts with inscription of Jandor4Governor, removed their T-shirts publicly to unveil another worn underneath with inscription of All4BAT ’23 and BOSS ’23.