Aregbesola Re-Election: Oyinlola, Adeleke, Others Set to Join APC by Saturday

Arrangements have been concluded by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State to receive two former governors of the state, Mr. Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Senator Isiaka Adeleke and their supporters into the ruling party in the state next Saturday.

Apart from the two governors, also set to defect are the former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Mufutau Gbadebo Ayinde, state Deputy Chairman of PDP, Dr. Bashiru Salami and other prominent PDP members in the state.
However, former federal lawmaker and governorship aspirant in the state, Hon. Oluwole Oke, who was also rumoured to be heading for APC had debunked his planned defection.
According to Oke, despite the injustice that characterised the last governorship primaries in the state, he prefers to remain in the PDP “I don’t believe in throwing away the baby with the bathwater, I remain in the PDP,” he said.

But to finalise their defection plan, Oyinlola and Adeleke were said to have met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo last week during which they intimated him of their plans to dump PDP for APC and sought for his blessing.

After the meeting with Obasanjo,  the two former governors and their supporters held separate meetings with Governor Rauf Aregbesola in their homes in Ede and Okuku where they intimated him of their terms of defection and pledged their supports for the governor’s second term election.

The governor also pledged his cooperation and assured them of befitting places and their supporters in the ruling party.

Oyinlola was said to have made up his mind to finally leave PDP due to his removal as the National Secretary of the party and the refusal of the party’s leadership to re-instate him in accordance with the order of the Court of Appeal last year.

But Adeleke according to sources, decided to leave PDP following his alleged humiliation and assault by supporters of the party’s governorship candidate in the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore, who allegedly manhandled the former governor and his supporters at a meeting of the party.

Adeleke was accused of sabotaging the gubernatorial ambition of Omisore by joining the race three weeks before the primaries.

While declaring his intention to contest, Adeleke was said to have claimed that he was the anointed candidate, having been instructed to join the race by the presidency, the claim which Omisore supporters debunked.

Former governor of Ekiti State, Chief Segun Oni, had last week defected to the APC and joined the campaign train of Governor Kayode Fayemi.
Meanwhile, arrangement had been concluded to receive Oyinlola and Adeleke by the APC leadership in Osogbo in what was described as a grand rally.