From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Some leaders in Dotun Babayemi group in Osun State have said the Peoples Democratic Party is jittery about mass movement from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to the group, the fear of defection has propelled the PDP to begin a move to organise a one-year remembrance for the late National Vice Chairman of PDP, South West, Soji Adagunodo.
In a statement jointly signed by some leaders in the Babayemi group, an erstwhile zonal leader of the party, Ojo Williams, Emmanuel Monyeh, and Adelani Ajanaku, after a meeting to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Adagunodo, yesterday, the group described the one-year remembrance being planned by Governor Ademola Adeleke for Adagunodo as ‘fake’, noting that they fought him till his death.
The group recalled that Adagunodo was in its camp before his death, saying the deceased was fiercely fought by the Adelekes and their supporters till his end last year, even as they refused to participate in any of his burial rites.
The former PDP South West chairman accused the administration of Governor Adeleke and the state party executive of playing politics with the repose of the deceased.
“At a meeting of his followers in Osogbo, yesterday, we, the victimised by the party because of the defence of the democratic ideals we stood for, met to commemorate the activities organised for him (Adagunodo) last year and to deliberate on programmes outlined to immortalise him.
“It is unfortunate some of those who pretended to support him became renegades and turncoats for a mess of pottage even before he became cold in his grave and are now hell-bent on destroying all he stood for by acting as agents provocateurs.
“They wondered why the people who derided and denigrated Adagunodo even at death could turn around to claim they were remembering him on the first anniversary of his demise; stressing, that this contradicts logic and it is a joke that must stop forthwith.
“Adeleke and his people as well the party, did everything to frustrate Adagunodo. When he died, they laughed at him to scorn and even danced on his grave.
“Now, because of the impending mass defection of thousands of Babayemi and Adagunodo’s supporters, they (Adeleke and the PDP), want to be clever by half by pretending to be sympathetic to the course of Adagunodo who they fought till death; they are even planning a fake one-year remembrance.”
“They are begging and moving about with money for us not to defect to APC but it is already too late. When they had the opportunity, they were abusing us all over the place,” the group said.