Thousands of members from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress have reportedly defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) at a ceremony held in Ode-Irele, Irele Local Government Area (LGA) of Ondo State ahead of the November 26th, 2016 governorship election.
The leaders of the mass defection are mainly former grassroots supporters of Governor Olusegun Mimiko and who worked with him during the Labour Party (LP) days before joining the PDP last year.
SaharaReporters learnt that the local chiefs from the ten wards of the community publicly announced their membership for the SDP, stating long-term neglect and abandonment by the incumbent government of Governor Mimiko as the main reason behind their action.
The decampee narrated how many of the locals sold their personal goods and properties to support for the incumbent government of Governor Mimiko while in Labour Party before joining the PDP but got nothing in return for their effort.
“At the end of the day, it was neglect, back-stabbing and victimization, while they are demanding from us heavy taxes and unfavorable policy,” according to one person.
Others decried the level of poverty among the people of the community noting that they decided to join the SDP in order to seek alternative platforms and work for the overall interest ahead of the governorship poll.
Receiving the defectors into the party was Olu Falae, the National Chairman of the SDP, who was represented by the party’s Senatorial Chairman, Lere Adeodu, said the party was ready to occupy the Alagbaka government house by contesting and winning the election with a landslide.
He noted that the leadership of the SDP would continue to create awareness and ensure more people from other opposition parties join and support the party.
Also, a governorship aspirant of the party, Olu Agunloye, who was a former ally of Governor Olusegun Mimiko, said the SDP would soon be the best party to reckon with following the defection of the new supporter.
Mr. Agunloye added that the party was already strategizing ahead of the November 26th, 2016 governorship poll in a bid to wrestle power from the incumbent PDP government and urged the new decampees to prepared for a massive campaign starting from their neighbors.