21st March, 2011
Two Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lawmakers in the Ekiti State House of Assembly today, defected to the ruling party in the state, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, during the party’s presidential campaign.
The two lawmakers are Hon. Femi Adeleye representing Ido/Osi State Constituency and Hon. Adebayo Morakinyo representing Ikole 1 Constituency.
According to Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, while welcoming the two decampees into ACN, said that their defection marked the beginning of an end to the PDP in the state.
“Today marks the beginning of an end to PDP in this state. These two lawmakers are moving from the party of darkness and deceit to the party of vision, light and purposefulness. The end has come for PDP and our doors are still open to other decampees,” Fayemi stated.
The ACN presidential candidate, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was in Ado Ekiti as part of his campaign rally to solicit support of the people in the coming general election.
Speaking at the rally, the former governor of Lagos State and the leader of ACN, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu charged the people to be determined and ready to stand firmly by their votes so that the suffering inflicted on them by the PDP-led government in the past 12 years in the country will be a thing of the past.
Tinubu said: “Let us all be ready to defend our votes. The definition of our democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people, but in the case of PDP, the definition of their own democracy is, government of the greedy, by the greedy and for the greedy. Don’t be scared by their intimidation and if any soldier or policeman harasses you on that day, tell him that he is here to protect you, not to kill you. Shine your eyes.”
Other candidates from Ekiti that were at the rally included the Ekiti Central Senatorial candidate, Mr. Babafemi Ojudu, the House of Representatives candidate for Ekiti Central, Barrister Opeyemi Bamidele, Ekiti South Senatorial candidate, Mr. Anthony Adeniyi, Ekiti North representatives in the lower house, Abimbola Daramola and others.
At the time of this report, the ACN campaign train had moved to Osun State where a huge crowd was waiting to welcome its presidential candidate, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, his runningmate, Mr. Fola Adeola and other party leaders.
By Abiodun Onafuye
