Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State and House of Assembly have traded words over the recent defection of two opposition lawmakers to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers – Oladiji Oguntudo, representing Akure South Constituency I, and Raymond Oluwatoyin Daodu, Deputy Minority Leader representing Akoko South West Constituency I – formally announced their defection during last Thursday’s plenary session.
Until their defection, Oguntudo and Daodu were the only remaining PDP members in the 10th House of Assembly.
Their exit came barely a month after they resigned from the PDP, citing leadership crises and internal wrangling in the party.
In their resignation letters, both lawmakers said their decision followed “wide consultations with family members, constituents and political leaders,” who advised them to align with the ruling party.
However, speaking on Fresh
FM 102.9 Akure, monitored by The Nation, the state PDP Chairman, Dupe Aisida, condemned the lawmakers’ action, describing it as a “betrayal” of the mandate given to them by the PDP.
Aisida said he was not surprised by their decision, but maintained it was driven by “personal interest and political survival”, rather than public service.
“They didn’t defect because APC is performing well. Everyone knows the government is underperforming. It’s purely about survival,” he said.
The PDP chairman also berated the House of Assembly, describing it as “toothless” and ineffective in discharging its constitutional oversight duties.
He accused the assembly of failing to hold the executive accountable, leading to what he termed growing opacity in the management of public finances.
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“Most people in the state don’t even know we still have a House of Assembly. If they were truly performing their oversight functions, things wouldn’t have been this bad,” Aisida said.
He alleged that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration lacked transparency in handling contracts and public funds, noting that basic fiscal information such as project costs and budget performance had become inaccessible to citizens.
“It’s not as if there’s no money now. After the removal of fuel subsidy, the state and local governments have been getting more funds, yet there’s little to show for it. What is the percentage of budget implementation? What have they done with local government allocations? These are the questions the assembly should be asking,” he said.
Aisida said the opposition party was reorganising to provide credible leadership and hold the government accountable.
“We are not sleeping. We have started well, and our people will soon begin to see the difference. Governance affects everyone, not just politicians. We all share the same destiny,” he said.
Contacted, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Oshati, dismissed Aisida’s claims as “baseless and unfounded.”
He said PDP should attend to its internal crises instead of making “vague and reckless” allegations against the legislature.
“We don’t need to dignify PDP’s accusations with excuses. The records are there for everyone to see. Their problem is that they can’t manage their own house – that’s why it’s leaking.
“The PDP chairman is only angry because their house is now empty. If their house was good, nobody would leave,” he said.
Oshati maintained that the state and federal governments were performing creditably, urging the opposition to “look inward and fix themselves.”
