Lagos PDP mocks defectors to APC, not bothered

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State on Tuesday mocked defectors from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP Vice Chairman (Lagos Central), Hakeem Olalemi, in a media interaction on Tuesday said that the party is not bothered about Monday’s defection of some party leaders to the APC.

PDP State Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Hakeem Amode, and other leaders announced their resignation from the party on Monday. Other PDP leaders who dumped the party for APC include Alhaja Safurat Abdulkareem, a two-time PDP deputy governorship candidate in Lagos State, and  a former Lagos PDP deputy chairman , Chief Ola Apena.

Olalemi said the party would not miss the defectors as they were not active members of the party; noting that they had not been active in PDP in the last two years.

“All the people that left had been inactive in the party in the past two years; we are not going to miss them at all.

“The party has since moved on. We are moving on without them. These people showed long ago they were not PDP members again, they are Jandor’s people and we have always known that they are APC.

“In Lagos PDP, we have long forgotten them. They had not been part of us for over two years. When last did you hear them defend PDP in Lagos State before their defection?

“It (their defection) is not news to us in Lagos PDP, we know they left since. We are not bothered a bit,”Olalemi said.

Other PDP leaders who defected from the PDP on Monday to the APC included Prince Rufus Adeniyi, a former PDP Assistant State Organising Secretary (Lagos West); and Jerry Afemikhe (Olori Odo), a former PDP House of Representatives candidate in Surulere Constituency I.

Some 2023 PDP Lagos State House of Assembly candidates who dumped the party included Messrs Keshinro Abiodun (Epe 1); Akeem Jinadu, (Eti-Osa 1) and Ibrahim Balogun (Kosofe 2).

Messrs Taofeek Obanikoro (Lagos Island 1); Tunde Pratt (Lagos Mainland 2); Saheed Aregbesola (Oshodi-Isolo State 2), Sulaimon Thompson (Surulere 1)and Taofeek Kuye ( Ajeromi-Ifelodun State 1) also dumped PDP for APC.

Mr Adeyemi Kazeem:former PDP Chairman, Ojo Local Government; Pastor Gbenga Ogunleye,media aide to the 2023 Lagos PDP Governorship Candidate were also among those who defected. (NAN)