Ahead of its scheduled gubernatorial election, the Peoples Democratic Party’s in Ondo State received many members of the Ikare royal families into it’s fold on Saturday, when in the Northern Senatorial District,wife of Olukare, Olori Muina Momoh who led 5 other women leaders and Prince Sina Momoh as well as 17 Prominent Chiefs in the town, decamped to the party from the All Peoples Congress (APC).
The royal family members,were just a fraction of the hundreds of APC members that defected with them to the PDP in the Akoko North East Local Government Council Area .
Lamenting the hardship they endured under the APC government in the state, the decampees chorused their frustrations even, as they vowed that they will ensure the PDP return to power in November.
The women leaders said some of the Commissioners of the APC candidate, Lucky Ayedatiwa, practically turned Ikare to their second home in the last ten days when they ( women leaders)
resigned from the APC.
According to the Women l
Leaders, the Commissioners persuaded them unsuccessfully, to remain with the APC but later resorted to blackmail when they couldn’t have their way.
” They have been on our neck for the past ten days that we resigned from their party. They insisted we can not leave, but when they discovered we won’t back down on our plans, they said Agboola Ajayi has given us money but the question we asked them was that, must we collect money from anybody before we pitch tent with somebody with a genuine record of service to the people” they chorused.
Also speaking on behalf of the decamping palace chiefs, Chief Adubiaro said the 17 Prominent Chiefs present at the event on Saturday to publicly declare for the PDP would have increased before the Agboola Ajayi Campaign train return to the town before November 16 governorship election.
He said not less than 75% genuine Chiefs in the town have signified their intention to team up with the Agboola Ajayi led Ondo Rescue Mission team.
The Agboola Ajayi campaign Council Chairman, Chief Eddy Olafeso while saluting the courage of the decampees to demonstrate their intention publicly, said the victory of the PDP is sure since the people of Ikare have declared their support.
According to him, if precedents are anything to go by, once a candidate wins in Ikare, a win in the entire election is guarranteed.
Speaking in the same vein, the Director General of the Agbo Ajayi Campaign Council, Hon. Clement Faboyede thanked the decampees for showing support and determination to see the PDP return to power.
He assured them of the dividends of democracy as soon as PDP gets to power.
Overwhelmed with the naked display of trust and faith in his candidature, the PDP candidate, Agboola Ajayi, thanked the royal family and women leaders decampees, for the faith they have in him and the party.
He thus promised that under his watch, they will experience what dividends of democracy is, concluding that his government,will banish hunger from the state and create enduring wealth.
