Though the governorship poll is about two years away, some leading political gladiators have intensified efforts at building a compact coalition, with some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC). ADEOLU ADEYEMO situates the unfolding scenario in the gradual build-up to the election year.
The defection of two chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun and Prince Dotun Babayemi to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has come and sent some shock waves across the ruling People Democratic Party (PDP). Even now, the echoes subsist across the length and breadth of the state. As early as 8 a.m., a part of the Osogbo/Gbongbon-road, where the secretariat of the APC, is located, was blocked with motorists, motorcyclists and even passersby keen to behold the defection of the two PDP chieftains to the APC. The exercise attracted people from all walks of life while there was heavy presence of security operatives of the Nigeria Security And Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the police, Department of State Services (DSS) and others in plain clothes. Those defecting were Oyedokun, the Inisha-born politician, and a former National Deputy Chairman of the PDP and Prince Dotun Babayemi, a former governorship aspirant under the PDP, an indigene of Gbongan, headquarters of Ayedaade Local Government Area of the state.
It was carnival-like as hundreds of supporters and party members across the state rocking the Ankara picked for the occasion besieged the Osun APC secretariat for the defection. Leading the pack of the APC top shots to receive the defectors was a past governor of the state, who is the incumbent Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola. He alongside his wife, Mrs Kafayat Oyetola and other party chieftains, including the APC chairman in the state, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal and the national secretary of the APC, Ajibola Basiru arrived to a rousing welcome. Their arrival raised the tempo of the colourful event.
Some observers claimed that the event marked the beginning of real horse trading and intrigues ahead of the 2026 election. Others said the defection would translate into a stiff challenge to the ruling PDP in the state pointing to the pedigree and clout of the defectors, and the high calibre of politicians that attended the event. There were other observers who felt that the ceremony was an indication that both the PDP and the APC were poised to reenact the seamless rivalry that has characterised the politics of Osun over the years. The chairman of the APC in the state, Sooko Lawal, underscored the significance of the ceremony which he believed marked a major move in the party’s quest to reclaim the Osun government house. He described the action of the PDP defectors as a good omen for his party and assured them that they would not regret taking the decision. He said the party is founded on the principle of inclusiveness and unity and pursuing the best for the people of the state.
He charged them to use all their resources to add value to the greatness and advancement of the party in the state. He said: “Today’s defection ceremony is unique in the sense that Omooba Babayemi is defecting into the opposition party, the APC, in the state, which is not a common phenomenon; as what is common is for some unprincipled politicians to cross from the opposition to the ruling party where they can take part in eating from the filthy political crumbs falling off the table of a leadership whose moral standing is questionable and shaky. It is, however, pertinent to recall that Omooba Babayemi, before now, wasn’t a stranger to the progressive party, as it is too recent to forget that he was a resourceful leader of the progressive party at a time in the history of this state where he contributed his quota to the smooth-running of the party. Based on this analogy, it won’t be out of tune to christen Omooba Babayemi as ’Omowale’ in his new political association. Omooba, you and your supporters and the other eminent leaders of the PDP who summoned the rare courage to cross over to the perpetual abode of light, unlike the cosmetic light on the other side of the divide, are very much welcome on board. I am also using this occasion to assure Prince Babayemi and his supporters, who are defecting into the APC, that there would be equal opportunity for them and the old members of the party.”
On his part, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Oyetola, was emphatic that PDP foothold on Osun had been weakened. Oyetola said: “It is an irony that we lost an election over a year ago and there has been no major defection from the party. What we have is the reverse. It is the ruling party that is coming to us which shows that APC remains a party to beat. We have done so well, and people are starting to see that when it comes to governance, the progressive knows how to.”
But, the PDP said the APC was only engaging in hallucination, as its chairman in the state, Sunday Bisi described defection as “a drama by the opposition APC to shore up its bad fortunes in Osun State.” He added: “The PDP believes the inglorious antecedents of the disillusioned dramatis personae involved in the soap opera of self-pleasuring are in public court. Such individuals like Mr Dotun Babayemi and his ilk have since been put in their place long before now and have ceased to be members of our party right before the 2022 governorship election. We, however, understand that Osun PDP’s image stock is so huge that impressionists like Babayemi must cling onto it, deceiving themselves as decamping from the ruling party.”
According to the analysts, more notable political actors are likely to switch camps in the coming weeks of months. Those who will be the next crop of politicians that will be at the centre of such realignment remain in the belly of time. On the whole, the scout for more game changers remains a continuous process given what some political observers described as the epic battle for the Osun Government House in 2026.
ALSO READ: Why I’m staying away from Ilorin Durbar for peace — Saraki
