Lagos: Atiku group, PDP groups, members, other party join Sanwo-Olu

Three days to March 9 guber and state assembly election, no fewer than 700 members of the PDP and Action Democratic Party (ADP) defected to the APC in Lagos on Tuesday.

The defectors joined the APC at an elaborate ceremony at the party secretariat in Ikeja.

Among the latest defectors are Mrs Mary Dominance, ADP House of Representatives candidate (Apapa) in the Feb.23, elections and Mrs Linda Famoruti, Coordinator, Non-Indigenes group in Lagos PDP.

Others are Alhaji Abass Obesere, a popular Fuji artiste, who defected with members of his Consolidation group in PDP, and Mr Adeniyi Abiola, Coordinator, Articulated Agenda, a support group of the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

The Lagos West Senatorial candidate of the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) in the last elections, Mr Kayode Olabode, also led some supporters of his old party into APC.

Receiving the new members, Chairman of APC in the state, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, said he and other party members were happy to receive the defectors.

Represented by Mr Wale Ahmed, party Secretary, Balogun said the defectors had taken the right step by joining the APC in the state.

He urged the new members to feel at home, assuring them that they would be accorded the same rights and privileges as existing members.

According to him, the APC, as the winning party,  would win the March 9 governorship elections.

He added that the party’s governorship candidate, Mr Babajide Sanwoolu, was experienced in governance and would take the state to the next level when elected.

“The election, for us, is no contest. We are definitely going to win because Lagosians have confidence in our party.

Balogun said the PDP candidate, Mr Jimi Agbaje, was no choice for the state, as he had no experience in governance.

He said that the state could not be trusted with a candidate who would experiment with governance.

Also speaking, Obesere said he was glad to be in APC, the party he had always loved.

The defectors were presented with the APC flag at the ceremony.