APC Ikorodu Receives Hon. Ologijo, Awobodu, Other PDP Decampees

Kunle ADELABU
-Ikorodu will produce highest poll result in 2019-Hon. Benson

Hon. Gboyega Ologijo, Mr Lookman Awobodu and Mr Jerry Martins were among  hundreds  of other  chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that were  received into the Ikorodu branch of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ikorodu Local Government.
 
At the event held at the APC Secretariat in Ikorodu on Thursday, February 22, 2018, were hundreds of PDP members who decamped into the ruling party at the state level in November 2017.
 
While Mr Gboyega Ologijo and Mr Lookman Awobodu were received into the party at the divisional and local council area levels of APC respectively , hundreds of others were admitted at ward levels of the party.
 
Alhaji Taiwo Longe, APC Chairman in Ikorodu LGA, in his address stated that a team of old PDP members led by Mr Ologijo were being   welcomed  into the various levels of the ruling party .
 
“What we are here for today is the admittance of Hon. Ologijo at the divisional level of the party, Mr Lookman Awobodu at the LGA and hundreds of others at ward levels into our party” ,Alhaji Longe stated.
 
“They are not just decamping into our party and by extension not new, they  are among those that were admitted  into our party last November alongside Sen. Musliu Obanikoro. While Sen. Obanikoro was admitted at the state level, others were admitted at various levels.
 
He said that ge felt fulfilled seeing that the party is growing in number while enjoining party members to register to get their Permanent Voters Card (PVC).
 
“It is a thing of joy for me personally to have a very large house. I want to appeal to you all to ensure that you all register and get your PVC. That is the only thing that would proof that you truly love APC”, Longe challenged party members.
 
“It will get to a time that your membership of the party would be determined by your PVC because it is only those with the card that truly love and serious about our party, others without their PVC are just admirers.
 
“Only those with PVC are adding values to our party”, he declared.
 
The party chairman also expressed his displeasure at the polarization within the party and challenged Hon. Wasiu Adeshina, the Ikorodu Local Government Chairman, to play the role of a father to all and bring everybody on board.
 
Hon. Babajimi Benson, member, Federal House of Representatives, while presenting the APC flag to the new members stated that:
 
“It is time for us to improve on electoral votes in Lagos State. We have to move from the record of around 1.5million votes to 5million votes. This is the concern of the leader of our party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
 
“Ikorodu especially must strive to improve its electoral figures and be number one in Lagos State in terms of number of votes that would be recorded in the forthcoming elections.
 
“I’m happy that we are not admitting remnants of PDP but those with electoral values that would help in achieving maximum votes  for APC in Ikorodu. We are going to be number in Lagos State”, Hon. Benson assured.
 
Hon. Ologijo while speaking at the event stated that he was happy to be part of the APC family.
 
“I’m happy to join the APC family which to me is a progressive party. There is no more PDP in Ikorodu and Lagos State as a whole. We are the engine room of PDP in Ikorodu and since we have left them, they no longer exists.
 
“Our group is made up of loyal, committed and dedicated people. We always respect constituted authority wherever we are and always abide by the rules.
 
“We are not in APC to contest for any position but to contribute to its progress”, Hon. Ologijo stated.
 
Mr Lookman Awobodu in his own speech stated that those joining the APC are members of the Patriot Group who are followers of Sen. Obanikoro.
 
He also affirmed  the statements  by Hon. Ologijo  that his former party is no longer in existence in Ikorodu.
 
According to the decampees, other members and chieftains  of PDP in Ikorodu that were joining APC were Hon. Kazeem Abatan, former PDP candidate in Ikorodu Constituency I for the Lagos State House of Assembly seat, Hon. Akeju, former PDP candidate in Ikorodu Constituency II for Lagos State House of Assembly seat and Mr Jerry Martins among others.
 
Also among the decampees were the only PDP Councillor in Ikorodu LGA and all the  Councillorship Candidates of the party in the last Local Government elections.