A lawmaker in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Olusegun Olaleye, on Saturday, explained that he dumped the All Progressives Congress, APC, for a political movement belonging to former governor Rashidi Ladoja because of spiritual and political consultation about 2019 elections.
Olaleye, who is a two-term lawmaker representing Ibadan North II, said the decision also followed lack of internal democracy in the APC which led to the breaking away of the Unity Forum group form the APC.
At plenary on Thursday, he wore identical ankara attire with lawmakers from the opposition Accord, announcing to newsmen that he had switched party allegiance.
The lawmaker, who spoke on Saturday while featuring on Political Circuit, a live interview programme on the privately owned Fresh F.M radio station, said the governing party was already heading for a turbulent political future beginning with the 2019 election.
Olaleye, who donned a T-shirt with Ladoja’s image emblazoned on it, said “God has taken away the Ark of covenant of governance from the APC and put it in the hands of Senator Ladoja.”
“Spiritually, APC is already sacked from government. We are just waiting for the physical manifestation on February 16, 2019. Wherever Ladoja tilts the Ark of covenant of governance towards, mark my word, that is where the next governor will emerge.
Nigerian Tribune quoted the lawmaker as saying that “At the moment, I am no longer with the APC which is the ruling party in the state. Due to political and spiritual direction, I am now under the tutelage of a former governor of the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja.
“My number one party is in his house in Bodija. Today, he is in PDP and I am there with him, If tomorrow comes and he says it is another party, you will find me there with him. It was the same way God gave me the direction to go under the tutelage of the late former governor Lam Adesina.
“Unfortunately, Baba Lam died and what we have had under Governor Abiola Ajimobi was an official leadership that did not transform into a natural leadership which should embrace all,” he said.
He told those regarding the Unity Forum as an inconsequential political group to go back and examine the result of the Ibarapa East bye-election which was won by a PDP candidate and analyse the factors responsible for the loss of the APC.
Told that Oyo PDP is enmeshed in crisis over a harmonised list of executive, the lawmaker said: “It is very important for people not to fall into the same scenario in 2015 when Senator Teslim Folarin used federal might to get the ticket but with no practical grassroots support to back it up.
“My advice to whosoever wants to be governor in PDP in 2019 to know that Ladoja is the number one leader in the party. The fellow should ride on his crest to be governor. The person must not say he wants to be governor and at the same time be fighting for control of the party structure. When he does that, the person is bound to fail, no matter how wealthy or intelligent he is. Ladoja has proven himself as a leader and the people of the state trust him,” he said.
