By Segun Giwa
In what can be considered a big setback, leaders of Labour Party, LP, in the Southwest on Monday abandoned the party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to support the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
The LP leaders who were led by their South-West Chairman, Mr Banji Omotosho tore their party cards at the occasion held in Akure, Ondo State, to indicate that they no longer have anything to do with their former party.
Speaking at the defection event facilitated by the National Coordinator of the 2023 South-West Agenda for Tinubu (SWAGA), Dr Dayo Adeyeye, Omotosho dismissed chances of Obi in the February 25 presidential election.
He also described the LP platform as ‘shaky’ and not ready to serve Nigeria.
“Labour Party is not ready to serve Nigeria and that is why we decided to leave the party and come to the APC. I collapsed the structure of the party in Ekiti State.
He added that they specifically collapsed their structures into the APC to work for the realisation of the presidential ambition of Sen. Bola Tinubu.
“We are the pillars of that party in the South-West and to the glory of the God Almighty, we have pulled down the structure today.
Omotoso described Tinubu as a visionary leader who, he believed, had all it takes to rescue the nation from the current socio-economic quagmire.
He said they decided to support the APC candidate because he had the wherewithal to fix the nation.
“Labour Party presently is a shaky platform for anybody to contest on. I don’t know Peter Obi and I’m less concerned about him, but I’m concerned about those who are celebrating the Labour Party mediocrity within Nigeria.
“Labour Party is not ready to serve Nigeria and that is why we decided to leave the party and come to the APC. I collapsed the structure of the party in Ekiti State.
“We are the pillars of that party in the South-West and to the glory of the God Almighty, we have pulled down the structure today.
While receiving the members of the LP, Adeyeye watched them tearing their LP membership cards and declaring their support for the APC.
He said that as part of the moves in actualising the promise to deliver 13 million votes for Tinubu on Feb. 25, SWAGA wooed LP to collapse its structure in South-West into the APC before the general elections.
“About 10 days ago, we started the move to collapse LP into APC. They want to join APC through SWAGA.
“I am elated. Here we have the leaders of the Labour Party in South-West formerly tearing their cards and sweeping them away.
“They decided to join APC for one reason only, to support Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to become the president of Nigeria.
“We are more confident that here in the South-West we are going to have the maximum vote. Don’t forget that SWAGA had promised 13 million votes for Tinubu more than two years ago.
“And we are still pursuing that goal. That’s why we are wooing more groups and political parties to join us. We are recording more successes in that regard.
Through us, they will meet APC leaders and the presidential candidate of the party,” he said.
Also, Mr Oyetunde Ojo, a former member House of Representatives, urged the defectors to go to their units to canvass votes for Tinubu till he is declared the winner of the presidential election.
“Chief Obafemi Awolowo, M.K.O Abiola came. Now it’s Tinubu we have. So, let’s join hands and work for him.
Let’s look at his antecedents. What he wants to do is for the future.
“He has told us that he would fix our power. No economy can run without power. He will fix our power,” he said.
(NAN)
