FORMER executive governor of Osun State, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, on Saturday, at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Parkt, in Osogbo, the state capital, formally defected to the All Progressive Congress (APC), imploring the electorate not cast their votes for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming August 9, 2014 election.He admitted that the PDP as a party had done no wrong against him, recalling that 'I rose on the platform of the party to become a senator maintaining that' the PDP that I belonged to for some years was not in its totality a bad political party, because I am aware that there are some patriotic Nigerians there'.Adeleke, who commended Governor Rauf Aregbesola for what he termed enviable achievements recorded so far said 'I am here today to tell the world that I am making a U-turn from PDP to APC to prove that I am capable of advancing my political career and joining forces with people of like minds, who believe in peace, progress and prosperity for our people and generations yet unborn.'Recalling the alleged assault on him on the premises of an hotel, in Osogbo, a few days to the conduct of the PDP's primary election, he said 'PDP has not wronged me in any way. I rose on the platform of the party to become Senator and other feat I have attained in politics. But, I am calling on the people of Osun not to vote for the candidate of the PDP, Senator Omisore in the August 9 election'.In his remark, Governor Aregbesola described the defection of Adeleke to the APC as someone who had chosen to come back to his rightful home, stressing that 'I have told Adeleke long before now that his father, who was the Balogun of Ede did not join the conservatives while alive and that his people in Ede do not belong to the PDP'He stated, 'he has come back home. In Yorubaland, we do not belong to the PDP. Their reign had failed to better the lots of the masses. I don't want to talk much about the failures of the party. This is because some of them are still talking to us and they are coming'.'They (PDP) did not allow former Governor Oyinlola to perform when he was in government for almost eight years. No man of virtues would identify himself with the PDP, considering the misery, bad governance and failure they have caused Nigerians. We celebrated our independence some days ago, what have we got to show for it', Aregbesola queried.While calling on members of the APC and the new members to work before they can benefits from the party, he declared that 'you have to work before you can eat. I am saying it publicly'.Addressing the crowd, the governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi said 'you need to vote for continuity in Osun and change in Abuja. The truth is prevailing now and we know that the people are behind us'.Dignitaries at the event included the interim national chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande; national legal adviser of the APC, Dr Muiz Banire; chairman of Aregbesola' campaign committee, Senator Sola Adeyeye; Osun State Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Planning, Dr Wale Bolorunduro; interim chairman of APC in Osun, Elder Adelowo Adebiyi; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Sunday Akere; Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi and Senator Babajide Omoworare, among others.Meanwhile,DESPITE the defection of Senator Isiaka Adeleke, a governorship aspirant, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Osun State to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), two other aspirants, Senator Rasheed Akinlabi Olasunkanmi and Hon Oluwole Oke, on Saturday said such development would not affect the winning streak and electoral victory of their party at the August 9 gubernatorial poll.Describing the decision of Adeleke as unfortunate, taking into recognition the quantum of benefits that had accrued to him since he joined the party, they contended that it was laughable and amounted to ingratitude on his part to dump the party that made him politically.In a separate press statements issued by their media aides, Mr Ayo Aluko Olokun and Barrister Yemi Giwa respectively Olasunkanmi and Oke assured that the former governor's exit from the PDP can never have any negative effect on the chances of the party at the election.According to Olasunkanmi, who was a former Minister for Youths,'We believe in that tenet of democracy, which guarantees every individual the right of association. The defector has taken a decision which he believes would best serve his interest best under this dispensation and we cannot condemn, abuse or commend him for it. It is his right.''But, we wish to assure you that his exit would not diminish the chance of the PDP winning the August 9, governorship election. We shall strengthen our hold on Osun West Senatorial District, where he comes from. It is, however, unfortunate that a person that has benefitted so much, using the PDP platform, would jump ship despite all his repeated promises and pledges to vote and mobilise support for President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP', he added.Reacting, Oke remarked 'he is a pillar in PDP. I wish he stays and fight within the party. There is no party that is crisis free. I still hope that he would change his mind. If he doesn't, I wish him well. It is a free world'.Osun PDP members' defection to APC, a ruse 'ChairmanThe chairman of the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, has stated the celebrated defection of Senator Isiaka Adeleke with an alleged crowd of followers from the PDP was a mere ruse and an orchestrated lie to deceive the people of the state.Olaoluwa, in a statement made available on Saturday, said most of those who joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) were not PDP members, stating that the few PDP members that followed Adeleke were 'those whose political relevance has waned and have been huge liabilities to the party.''The good people of the state should not be deceived by Adeleke's defection or the celebrated fake defection of many PDP members; those who joined APC are only few and uncommitted members of the party who will sell their conscience for peanuts.'The world can now see the truth about Adeleke who joined the race to pick the governorship ticket of our party at the eleventh hour and had to lie against the president to gain support. This defection has proved true the theory that he was working for the APC to destabilise our party; thank God he did not succeed,' the PDP chairman stated.
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