Governor, Segun Adesegun, have defected from the All Progressives
Congress to the Social Democratic Party.
A reliable source, who made this known on Wednesday, also said that
the three APC senators from the state and six members of House of
Representatives had joined the SDP train.
The Senators are Adegbenga Kaka, Gbenga Obadara and Akin Odunsi, who
represent Ogun East, Ogun Central and Ogun West respectively.
The members of the House of Representatives are Kunle Adeyemi,
Babatunde Olabode, Olumide Osoba, Abiodun Abudu, Odeleye Kehinde and
Bukunola Buraimo.
News of their defection coincided with the resignation of Governor
Ibikunle Amosun's Senior Special Assistant on Environment, Abayomi
Odunowo.
Adesegun had on October 24 sent a stinker to Amosun, accusing him of
starving his office of funds, and allocating old vehicles to him.
In the letter personally signed by him and published exclusively on
October 29, byThe PUNCHthe deputy governor advised Amosun to fear God
and warned that he might not win the next governorship poll in the
state.
A part of the letter read, "Your Excellency, while writing this
letter, my thoughts race to my university days in Ile-Ife, Osun State
where I joined a group of bikers travelling around the country out of
youthful exuberance.
"During this period, one of my pastimes was reading inscriptions on
cars and buses to amuse myself. In 1978, I witnessed a fatal
accident near a big tree at Alakia Junction in Ibadan on the way to
Ile-Ife involving a white Peugeot 504 station wagon. Nearly everybody
in the car died; shockingly there were several amulets hung over the
car that had the word "I shall return" boldly inscribed on both sides.
Unfortunately, it did not return. I therefore conclude that we all
must fear God."
Kaka and Obadara confirmed the defection of the politicians during
separate telephone chats with our correspondents.
One of our correspondents had asked the Senator if the Osoba group
had left the APC, he replied "Something like that."
When asked to be specific on Osoba and Adesegun, he said, "All of us;
we will soon have a formal unveiling."
Kaka also disclosed that Osoba and the National Assembly
members loyal to him had started consultations and sensitisation
visits to the Local Government Areas in the state.
He said, "What we are doing currently is that we are going about to
the local governments to sensitise the people of the need to register
and get their permanent voter cards.
"But we have not formally defected. You know that if someone wants to
defect to another party, it must be done formally, so we need to do
that."
On his part, Obadara said, "Yes, I am in the SDP. But it has not
been made formal; we are in the process of making it formal. In fact,
all the senators and members of the House of Representatives are also
in the SDP.
"We are out to rescue Ogun State from recklessness and provide good
governance. We are not going to run a government of my friends, my
school mates and my family."
When contacted , Adesegun said he would always be in a party where his
leader(Osoba) belonged.
He said, "Osoba is our leader, I am talking about politics in
Yorubaland. Nobody can create leaders for us in Ogun State."
Efforts to speak with Osoba did not yield any result, as he neither
picked a call made to his telephone line nor responded to the text
message sent to him on the matter.
When contacted, the state commissioner for Information and Strategy,
Yusuph Olaniyonu, said, "It is purely a party affair."
But the national leadership of the APC expressed shock over the
defection, saying the party would restrategise to cushion the
effect of the defection of the politicians.
It said through its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed,
that it was inching towards reconciling the factions in its Ogun State
chapter.
"We read it only in the newspapers like you read it. We thought we
were making a breakthrough in our reconciliation talks. So, it was a
shock to us," the APC added.
It admitted that the defection might affect its chances of retaining
the state in 2015, but said it "will go back to the drawing board and
redouble our efforts."
On what would happen to the deputy governor of the state, the APC
said, "The party in Ogun State will decide what to do with the deputy
governor. Right now, our own is to face the new challenge."
Just as news of the defection of Osoba and others gained ground, the
SSA on Environment to Amosun toldThe PUNCHthat he had resigned. His
resignation came barely two months after the Special Adviser to
the governor on Environment, Abimbola Lanre-Balogun, quit.Odunowo, in
his resignation letter dated October 31, 2014 and addressed to the
Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, said he wanted to
pursue a new opportunity, which has ''presented itself.''
Part of the letter read, "This is to inform you that an opportunity
has presented itself that will enable me to work in the area of my
stated preference.
"I believe the reasons leading to this decision are known to you and I
will therefore leave them unsaid at this time.
"I am therefore tendering my resignation letter and wish to inform you
that 5th November, 2014, will be my last day in employment."
Odunowo thanked the governor for the opportunity given him to serve,
describing it as a ''truly outstanding experience.''
Odunowo told our correspondent that he resigned to pursue his
senatorial ambition, stressing that he wanted to effect a change for
the people of Ogun East.
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