By Osagie Otabor, Akure

More than 1,200 members of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former ZLP and PDP members defected at Igbekebo, headquarters of Ese-Odo Local Government Area.

Kinsmen of Ondo State Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, led by a former council chairman, Barrister Akin Sowore, also joined the APC.

State Chairman of the APC, Ade Adetimehin, was accompanied by the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Lucky Ayedatiwa; Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo; and other notable leaders of the APC from both Ese-Odo and Ilaje LGAs to receive the defectors.

Adetimehin assured them of equal status in the new party.

He said the ruling APC would win the October 10 governorship election in all the 18 local government areas of the state.

On his part, Barrister Sowore said they refused to follow the Deputy Governor to the ZLP because they were not political nomads.

Sowore noted that the achievements of Akeredolu endeared them to the APC, hence their decision to join the party to ensure its victory in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

Sowore said: “Aside the outstanding performance of our amiable governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN, it is only morally just for the entire state to allow the governor complete eight years in order to fulfill the political configuration of the state.

“Please express this message to the governor, that we in Ese Odo are people of character and integrity. Let him not use the attitude of his estranged deputy governor as a yardstick to judge us.

“In any case, Akeredolu is even more of quality candidate as an indigene of Ese-Odo than the man who is claiming Ese-Odo.

“Our people should note that we have got a more experienced and qualitative person in Aketi than anyone, if you are confronted that our brother is running after all.”

Ojogo charged the leadership of the APC in Ese Odo to stand firm and repeat the feat achieved during the July 20 governorship primary, even as he described the much touted third force as tough fraud and an aborted pregnancy.

He said: “If we were united to defeat all forces by delivering over 80 per cent for Aketi, now that we are more united than ever before, we will not do less.

“Ignore whatever anyone says about third force; it is a tough fraud, not third force, because they are singing about a pregnancy that had been aborted along the journey.”

Why I’m running from party to party—Ajayi

The deputy governor of Ondo State, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, on Friday formally joined his third party in 55 days as he was received into the Zenith Labour Party in Akure by a crowd of supporters.

Ajayi resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) on June 21 to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which he dumped after only 51 days, following his defeat in the party’s governorship primaries.

He said yesterday at his formal declaration for ZLP that his action was in the best interest of the people.

Ajayi is flying the party’s flag in the October election.

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He left the PDP to pit his tent with the ZLP, having been promised the party’s governorship ticket.

His name has been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission as the party’s candidate.

Ajayi said he was in the race to give hope to the hopeless and restore good governance.

The Ondo Deputy Governor urged his supporters to get their voter cards as well as defend their votes on election day.

He assured the supporters that any planned rigging of the October 10 polls would fail.

State Chairman of the ZLP, Hon Joseph Akinlaja, charged the people to return to their wards and begin massive mobilisation for the party.

He said the ZLP would be victorious at the polls.

Ajayi said on Twitter on Monday that he was leaving the PDP to join Zenith Labour party to “further my aspirations.”