ABEOKUTA — Former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Hon. Sikirulai Ogundele, has declared that the party he left has “collapsed,” describing the crisis rocking the opposition party as a reason for his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ogundele spoke on Sunday at a reception organised in Ilaro for members of the PDP who recently defected to the APC.
He likened the current state of the PDP to a burning house, saying no rational person would remain inside a building engulfed by fire.
According to him, the mass movement of governors and other prominent politicians away from the PDP was evidence of the deep crisis within the party, arguing that remaining in the party would have amounted to political suicide.
“The party from where we left has collapsed. The umbrella is torn,” Ogundele said.
“Regarding why I left PDP, I compared PDP to a burning house where no sane man will wait till the fire consumes him. What makes many state governors leave PDP, it will be suicidal if someone like me did not leave.”
Ogundele also dismissed the controversy surrounding the alleged indigene status of the APC governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, describing such allegations as a recurring feature of governorship contests in the state.
He urged party supporters to disregard claims questioning Adeola’s Ogun roots, arguing that similar allegations had been made against previous governors of the state.
“Please disregard the rumour of indigeneship against Yayi because in the history of choosing governorship candidates in Ogun State, there has always been crisis of such,” he said.
He cited former governors Olusegun Osoba, Gbenga Daniel and Ibikunle Amosun as examples, saying they had faced questions over their origins before emerging as governors despite the controversies.
“They said Amosun is from Benin Republic, Daniel from Delta State, Osoba from Osogbo. Despite that, they all emerged as governors of the state. So, what is going on against Yayi now is an indication that he will also win,” Ogundele said.
The former PDP chairman further criticised the PDP governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, questioning his motivation for seeking the governorship.
Ogundele alleged that Adebutu was relying on his father’s wealth to pursue his political ambition rather than pursuing the governorship out of a genuine commitment to public service.
“Ladi Adebutu is a business person who has no interest in contesting the governorship, but only using his father’s money to gamble on our future,” he alleged.
He also took a swipe at those who have remained in the PDP, making a strong assertion about the state of the party and its supporters.
