ABEOKUTA – The Deputy Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democractic Party in Ogun State, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade has again received more defectors from the ruling All Progressives Congress in Ipokia local government, into the Peoples Democractic Party in the state.
Akinlade, who doubles as the Director-General of the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council received over three hundred members from the APC at the party’s secretariat in Ipokia during a reception organized for the defectors.
Pastor Olaleye Emmanuel aka Janka, the Auditor of the APC in Ipokia local government who led other loyalists of former governor Olusegun Osoba from the ruling All Progressives Congress into the PDP in the state, assured their commitment to the victory of the party at the poll.
Speaking at the reception meeting, Pastor Olaleye said: “I do not want my people to perish because APC has dissapointed them. We left the party to team up with the PDP so as to salvage our state together.
“I can assure you that with God, we will defeat APC in the next elections. The party has failed Nigerians and they will be rejected at the poll and we are here to ensure they fail.
“PDP will only continue to wax stronger in the state because the people are in sync their candidates and ready to oust APC with their votes. We from Osoba group in APC are here for you and ready to work with you.”
Presenting the PDP flags to the defectors, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade noted that the 2023 election would be a historic one and that signs are becoming apparent that PDP would take over the state as they did in 2003.
Reacting to claims by the Senator representing Lagos West in the National Assembly, Olamilekan Solomon that he (Akinlade) collected an SUV, Hilux and some money in order to be the PDP deputy governorship candidate, Akinlade said Yayi was a perpetual liar and that he wouldn’t have paid mind to his allegations against him if the claims were not made in his hometown, Ipokia.
“If the frivolous claims were made in Egba or Ijebu, I wouldn’t have paid no mind to it, but because he lied blatantly here in Ipokia, I’ll have to set the record straight. See the black Jeep outside, that was the SUV he referred to; I and my wife have had it for about 5 years now and the Hilux, the one my police orderly are using, I gave money to Otunba Akeem Adigun Sokopao in 2015 to buy it for me, so that’s about 8 years now. We’re not spendthrift in Yewa here and that is why I’ve been able to maintain those vehicles for that long, unlike them who change vehicles in six months or in a year, since the money is not from their sweat”, Akinlade said.
He continued: “He said I betrayed Yewa people people for those material things. Yayi is like the proverbial one-eyed goat that makes one abuse its owner. Since those we looked up to when we were small betrayed Yewa with those material things and Yayi has been offering same things to those elders queuing behind him to betray our common goals, he thought we are all the same. I’ve replied him, I told we are more noble than that”
Akinlade also refuted Yayi claims that he would open up the borders in Yewa and construct new bridges when voted in, saying they were all empty promises as a lawmaker does not have such power.
“This man is the Chairman of the Senate committee on Finance, meaning the minister for finance is under him and the policy that led to closing the borders came from that ministry. So the question to be asked is what has Yayi done to the issue in the over 3 years that he has been in the Senate?”, Akinlade queried.
Akinlade also made reference to the polytechnic in Ipokia which has been abandoned since 2019, asking for what Yayi did to rescue the school’s situation despite his closeness to the incumbent governor- Dapo Abiodun.
Triple A bemoaned the roles played by GNI, Biodun Akinlade and Yayi in scuttling the chance of a Yewa governor in 2019 adding that they were the real betrayals.
Akinlade further explained that him being on the ballot is to protect Ogun West interest while assuring the people that they will not regret electing the candidates of the PDP in the February/March elections.
