The Ondo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Ade Adetimehin, on Tuesday, said many chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party were set to defect to the ruling party.
Adetimehin stated this after welcoming a former member of the state House of Assembly under the platform of the PDP, Mr Tomide Akinribido, to the APC in Ondo town, Ondo State.
The former lawmaker who was a deputy-minority leader in the state House Assembly between 2019 and 2023, defected to the APC after he had earlier resigned his membership of the opposition PDP.
He made his official defection to the APC on Monday.
Adetimehin said, “The defection of Akinribido is a dream come true, the former lawmaker possesses a high level of intellect and capacity that the APC would benefit from. We are welcoming him to our party
“As he has come now, I want to tell you that more of PDP chieftains have expressed their readiness to join us in APC, and very soon, you will know them. We have a big umbrella to accommodate as many party faithful as possible. The APC is a party to beat in the future elections, particularly, the November governorship election.”
Akinribido, who said he was happy joining the ruling party, pledged to commit himself to working with his new party structure, leadership, stakeholders as well as members without any sentiment.
“My decision to join the APC was borne out of my conviction that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has the required capacity and political will to steer the ship of the state perfectly and better the lots of people of the state.
“I want to appeal to the party stakeholders to rally round the governor and ensure he continues in office beyond 2025,” he said.
In his remarks, a member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abiola Makinde, described Akinribido as a fantastic and versatile young man, assuring that his defection to the APC would add strength to the party’s political capital, particularly in Ondo kingdom.
