The governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement in the 2019 election in Ogun State, Adekunle Akinlade, has joined the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of next year’s election.

Akinlade, who was former governor Ibikunle Amosun’s anointed candidate in the 2019 governorship election, resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress last week.

Akinlade, a former House Representatives member, also contested the APC’s governorship primary held in May and lost to Abiodun and had expressed a lack of confidence in the committee led by Wale Ohu.

While joining the PDP after dumping the ruling party, the former governorship candidate on Friday afternoon arrived at the PDP secretariat in Abeokuta, to formally declare for the opposition party.

He was in the company of his aides and the former Deputy Speaker, Tola Banjo.

He immediately went into a closed-door meeting with the State Executive members of the party as well as the PDP governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu.

Shortly after the meeting which lasted for about two hours, the State Chairman, Sikirullahi Ogundele, presented a PDP membership card to Akinlade.

Akinlade said he agreed to run with Adebutu as Deputy Governorship candidate for the next election.

He also confirmed his acceptance to run as Adebutu’s running mate, admitting that his decision to join PDP was a tough one to make.

Akinlade said, “This decision was not an easy one to take. It might not be the most popular decision to take, but I believe it is absolutely necessary. Where we have found ourselves today in Ogun State, the maladministration in Ogun State needs that every sensible indigene of this state must be ready to make sacrifice, must be ready to do whatever takes to change the course and the trajectory of government come 2023.

“In 2019, I ran for the governorship of this state under APM and my brother and this great party PDP stood by me and it reflected clearly in the result of that election.

“We will do everything we can to make sure that this party becomes victorious come 2023. We will work morning and afternoon, we will work in the night, we will work round the clock. We have done it before under 90 days, now we have seven months to do this.

“I have sat down with everybody, I have gone round, I have consulted, like I said, this was not an easy decision that for the development of Ogun state, to save the state. Things are falling apart in the state, people are being killed, cultists have taken over the state.

“I know what my role is as the deputy governor, I will stand with you, I will stand by you and I will stand behind you. I will give you my advice where necessary, but it is your prerogative to take the advice but I will do my best to make sure that PDP claim victory,” he said. (The PUNCH)

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