Lasun Yusuf, a former deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the July 2022 Osun State governorship election, has joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The former deputy speaker’s defection to PDP was announced on Wednesday by Governor Ademola Adeleke at the party’s presidential rally held at the Osogbo township stadium.
Lasun arrived at the rally around 2:40 p.m. and was received by the National Chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu alongside the PDP Presidential Campaign Council chairman, Udom Emmanuel and the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
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Thousands of supporters of the PDP chanted Lasun’s name and hailed him for decamping to the PDP while the national chairman of the PDP described the defection of Lasun as a homecoming.
He said, “I want to thank the Osun people, let’s forget about the past and reunite every great member of our party, this is the party of hope.”
Ayu said Lasun has pledged to campaign for and support the candidacy of Atiku.
“Lasun Yusuf is now Atikulate,” he added.
Lasun, however, pledged support for the PDP ahead of the 2023 elections in his remarks.
Recall, Lasun was deputy speaker of the House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He dumped the APC in March 2022 following his defeat in the governorship primary of the party, after which he defected to the Labour Party where he was given the ticket to contest the Osun governorship election.
Lasun finished fifth in the Osun election with 2,729 votes.
