*Says opposition has nothing to campaign with, set to flag off Ago-Iwoye–Ibadan road Monday
Ogun State Governor and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Dapo Abiodun, on Friday formally welcomed hundreds of former members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC), including party leaders across the nine local government areas of Ogun East Senatorial District, into the ruling APC.
The defectors were received at an elaborate reception held at the Ojude-Oba carnival ground in Ijebu-Ode, which was filled to capacity with APC members, supporters and the new entrants.
Welcoming the defectors, Governor Abiodun described their decision to join the APC as a demonstration that they had “seen the light”, assuring them of equal treatment and full integration into the party.
“We are happy you have seen the light and you have decided to follow the light. You have become one of us from now on,” he said.
The governor urged the new and existing members to return to their respective wards and mobilise support for the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections, expressing confidence that the party would retain its dominance in the state.
Abiodun said the achievements of his administration since 2019 had distinguished the APC from opposition parties, particularly in the area of infrastructure, noting that more than 100 roads had been constructed across Ogun East, including about 26 roads in Ijebu-Ode alone.
He listed some of the ongoing and completed projects in the senatorial district to include the Gateway International Airport, major road projects, the Olokola Deep Sea Port, the Olokola-Kajola Gas Industrial Free Zone, oil exploration in Ogun Waterside and other economic infrastructure.
The governor also announced that the reconstruction of the Ago-Iwoye–Ibadan Road would be flagged off on Monday alongside the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi.
According to him, the road runs from Ijebu-Ode through Ago-Iwoye to Ibadan and is one of the projects secured through the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Abiodun further disclosed that his administration had awarded the reconstruction of the Ilishan–Ago-Iwoye–Ijebu-Igbo Road, as well as the Okun-Owa Road, Aiyepe–Odogbolu Road and Ikenne–Aiyepe Road.
“Help me to ask them if they have ever done even a kilometre of road?” the governor challenged, referring to opposition parties.
He said the APC’s record of performance had left the opposition with little to campaign with ahead of 2027.
“Anyone just making any baseless noise is just lying to you, because in 2019, they fell, in 2023, they also fell and I am certain that in 2027, they will also fail,” he said.
The governor also expressed optimism that Ogun would soon join the league of oil-producing states, while noting that the development of the Olokola Deep Sea Port and revival of the OKNLG project would further transform Ogun East and strengthen the state’s economy.
Abiodun commended President Tinubu for his support for Ogun State, particularly in the area of infrastructure, saying the President’s administration had demonstrated commitment to the development of the state.
He said he believed that the people of the South-West would support President Tinubu in 2027 based on his achievements in infrastructure and economic development.
“Every son and daughter of the South-West will vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027, not because he is a son of the soil, but because of his antecedents in developing the country in terms of infrastructural and economic development,” he said.
Earlier, the Ogun State APC Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, attributed the influx of opposition members into the party to the performance of the Abiodun administration.
Sanusi assured the defectors that they would enjoy the same rights and privileges as existing members, while urging other opposition members to join the ruling party and contribute to the development of the state.
In his remarks, Asiwaju Oladapo Odumosu, a former PDP member, thanked Governor Abiodun for accepting him and his supporters into the APC, saying the administration’s performance and its accommodating disposition encouraged their decision to leave the opposition.
Other defectors, including Messrs Ladi Owoduni, Damilola Talabi, Sesan Odufuwa from Odogbolu, Wale Adeyemi from Ijebu-North, Seun Oguntimeyin from Ijebu-North-East, Sunday Taiwo from Remo North, Adewale Ismael from Ijebu-Igbo and former ADC Chairman in Ijebu-North-East, Hon. Erinle Opeoluwa, described Abiodun as an accommodating administrator who treats people equally irrespective of political affiliation.
Rotimi Okenla, who contested for the Ogun State House of Assembly under the PDP in 2019, said after 17 years in the opposition, he decided to join the APC because of the performance and accommodating nature of the Abiodun administration.
The defectors pledged their loyalty to the APC and vowed to work for the party’s victory in the 2027 general elections.
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