GOV. AJIMOBI'S SECOND TERM BID SUFFERS A BIG BLOW AS SENATOR LANLEHIN DECAMPS TO ACCORD PARTY

Gov. Abiola Ajimobi

The senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Olufemi Lanlehin Tuesday

Senator Olufemi Lanlehin

defected to the Accord Party, AP. Lanlehin dumped the APC at a rally in Ibadan, the state capital, barely a month after another senator,

Senator Rasheed Ladoja

Ademola Adeseun, who represents the Central Senatorial District, also on the party’s platform, moved to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The exit of the two senators from the APC has further changed the political equation in the south west state in the build up to the 2015 general elections. The development is considered a blow to the political future of the state governor, Abiola Ajimobi, who is an APC member. The APC currently has no senator from Oyo State as the third senator, Hosea Agboola, who represents the North Senatorial District, belongs to the PDP. Lanlehin and others defectors, including Gbenga Babalola, a former PDP senator; and an APC leader, Yemi Aderibigbe were officially presented with the AP flag by the leader of the party in the state, Rasheed Ladoja. Also at the rally were the AP state chairman, Bashir Lawal, Secretary, Ogundiya Oguntoye; Deputy Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, David Akoro; a former Speaker of the House, Adeolu Adeleke. Others are Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Education, Abiola Ajaja and an AP member of the House, Busari Olayemi. Ladoja, a former governor of the state said the former APC senator was free to contest any elective position under the party except the governorship which was reserved for him (Ladoja). He assured the party supporters and the people of the state that AP would not let them down if elected to form a new government in May next year. “We did it before and we shall do it even better again,” Ladoja said. Responding, Lanlehin, who described Ladoja as “my leader and father” urged Oyo State people, particularly his supporters, to vote the former governor again in the 2015 governorship election. Adeleke asked the people to hold the APC by its words, saying “The APC, when they were ACN, said you should not vote for a party that does not have a senator. Today that Senator Lanlehin is now in Accord, I want to urge you the people of Oyo State not to vote for APC because it is now truly a party that does not have a Senator.”