The gale of defections last weekend hit the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State as no fewer than 5,000 members of the party publicly defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state ahead of the 2023 election.
The mostly affected local government councils by the defections are Ilorin West and Asa LGAs of the state.
The defectors also cut across wards of Ajikobi, Ubandawaki, Ogidi, Adewole, Badari among others in Ilorin west LGA.
Others are from five communities of Laduba ward that include Sapati, Abayawo, Budo-Ago and Ago-Oja all in Asa LGA of the state.
The defectors at Baboko ward, who were led by Mr. Toyin Abdul, Mr. Olohuntoyin Rahmeen, Yinka Yusuf and the Igbo community in Baboko, stated that they decided to leave APC due to the alleged poor performances of the present administration in the state and due to lack of capacity of the APC-led government to provide good leadership to the people of the state.
They also said their decision to dump the APC was to support the leadership qualities of the PDP leaders in the state, especially the former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, to lead the state from the APC maladministration.
Welcoming them, the Baboko Ward PDP Chairman, Alhaji Mashood Yakub, advised them to work for the progress of PDP in the state and the country at large.
Also, at Laduba ward, one of the leaders of the youth group, Mr. Mathew Adachi, who lead other APC members to PDP, confirmed that they are core members of APC and they worked for the success of the party in 2019.
Adachi lamented that: “The current administration in Kwara State has failed, and has betrayed the trust of the people. APC is a discriminating party that has nothing to offer the electorate.”
Also speaking, the Seriki Zuru communities in Laduba ward, who lead his people to the venue, Alhaji Garuba Umar, revealed that they are tired of the present administration in both state and the centre, describing them as an ignorance and wicked set of people.
He explained that the Zuru communities have not benefited anything from the present administration since inception three years ago.
The Zuru traditional leader in Afon commended the leadership of the former Senate president and PDP for making them know the real lovers of the electorate, assuring the party that they would work for the success of people both at the state and federal level.
They were later received into the PDP fold by some leaders, including Alhaji Jimoh
Adesina, the director-general, Mandate Office; Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, Alhaji Musa Abdullahi, among others.
