Members and supporters of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) have dumped the party to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti state.
The members who were followers and supporters of a former governor of the state and candidate of the party in the last governorship election, Chief Segun Oni, joined the PDP from all the 13 wards in Ado local government area.
The new PDP members under the leadership of former chairman of the party in Ado, Yinka Olomofe and Fatai Adeyemo were received into the party on Monday by the state party leaders including publicity secretary, Chief Olalekan Amerijoye and the South-West zonal publicity secretary, Chief Sanya Atofarati, among others.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Olomofe said that they joined the SDP before the 2022 governorship election due to the handling of the party affairs especially the party primaries.
He explained that they were happy to return to the party and promised to contribute their quota towards the repositioning of the PDP for success ahead of future elections.
Olomofe announced that the SDP structures in the entire local government area had collapsed with their decision to join the PDP in the state.
He solicited the support of the party leadership to grant all the new members a waiver to be able to enjoy the rights and privileges as PDP members.
Receiving the new members, the party caretaker chairman, Sodiq Obanoyen represented by the spokesman Amerijoye commended the former SDP members for their decision to rejoin the PDP instead of the ruling party.
While lamenting the challenges confronting the party in the state, he assured the new members that stakeholders and leaders are doing everything possible to rescue the party and make it acceptable to the people.
Amerijoye, who stated that it is only the party chairman that could grant waiver to the new members in line with the party constitution, added that the leadership would do the needful in the interest of the party.
Speaking, the zonal PDP spokesman, Atofarati sympathized with the new members over the events leading to their defection from the party last year, assuring them that the national headquarters would be happy to approve their rejoining of the PDP.
He urged them to remain dedicated towards the progress of the PDP in Ekiti and be ready to participate in the forthcoming congresses of the party scheduled for March next year.
. TheWitness
