The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday said it is not surprised by the remarks of one of its chieftains, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, a former Minister of Works that he will be joining the APC in few days’ time.
Describing his impending move as a good riddance, Dr. Adegbola Dominic, the state chairman of the party described Ogunlewe as one of the major problems militating against the progress of the PDP in Lagos, saying his departure is a positive development for the party.
According to him, the party has concrete evidence that even while claiming to be a PDP leader, Ogunlewe has been collecting money from APC leaders to work against the interest of the PDP in the state.
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While asking Ogunlewe to leave the PDP if he so desires, Dominic cautioned him against making unfounded allegations by saying the party chairman asked PDP members to work against Jimi Agbaje, the party’s governorship candidate in the just concluded elections.
According to Dominic “His exit to the APC will affect the fortunes of our party positively because he has been one of the major problems of the party. If he wants to join APC, he should go but he should stop spreading lies about the leadership of our party. For him to say he instructed party members to vote for another political party in the last election is a total lie and mischievous.
“I have debunked this nonsense on about two occasions. There is no evidence to back up that claim. I spoke at the open meeting we had where Jimi Agbaje made the allegation. He said he has evidence and I asked him to show me the evidence but up till now, he has not provided any evidence.
“Our members were angry because of the attitude of our governorship candidate. They were disappointed in him and didn’t want to vote for him. They even came to me and during an open meeting, they demanded that we seek an alternative candidate but I appealed to them to forgive him for the sake of the party.
“For a person like Ogunlewe to be spreading unfounded and baseless rumours shows the kind of person he is. Based on his conduct, we have never regarded him as an asset to our party but a liability. It has always been said that he is a mole in the PDP, he has been working for APC for a long time.
“We have evidence that he has been collecting money from APC leaders even during our own elections to work against us. We have concrete evidence on this. So, if he is joining the APC, it is good riddance and a positive development to our party.”
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Ogunlewe, who had taken his son, Moyosore to the home of Bayo Osinowo, senator-elect for Lagos East senatorial district a fortnight ago, had announced on Friday that he will be joining APC in 30 days.
He said his decision to dump the PDP was because the party was rudderless and that it had been perpetually enmeshed in crisis.
Ogunlewe said he saw no future in the PDP and that nobody should expect a politician of his stature to stay in a house where some leaders were only after their selfish interests.
The former minister said that issues arising from the governorship elections exposed the fact that some people were only after money and not the progress of the PDP in Lagos State.
“Yes, I am set to leave. My son is already there and he is expecting me to join him. I am leaving in the next 30 days.
“You see, for now, there is no chairman in PDP. We don’t have leaders and you don’t expect me to stay in a party that is not stable and with people that lack focus.
“Look at what happened in the last elections. The supposed chairman of the PDP in the state asked members to vote for the opposition for whatever reason.
“Is that a party? Should I remain with people like these?
“What these people care about is only their selfish interests and not the interest of the party. I am giving the party 30 days’ notice, after which I will leave.
“I am tired of a party running into one problem or the other and I tell you, these people can never change.”
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The former minister said that he was also joining APC because he was convinced that the party would zone the presidency to the South West in 2023, apart from being a better-organised party.
Ogunlewe said he would not want to be left out of any arrangement to give the region the presidency in 2023.
He said he would be leaving the PDP with his teeming supporters, promising to add value to the APC.
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