A former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Rafiu Jafojo, and some other chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos on Saturday defected to the All Progressives Congress.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that others who defected included former Lagos State Chairman, Elders Council of PDP, Dr. Oluyomi Finnih, and former state secretary of the party, Tunde Daramola.
The declaration of the new members was held at the APC secretariat on Acme Road, Lagos.
Welcoming the new members, the state chairman of APC, Chief Henry Ajomale,said they had made a good decision. He promised that the party would be fair to them.
Finnih, who spoke on behalf of the new members, said the defectors had come for the unity of the party and not to divide it.
“We took the bold decision because we see the party as a prosperous party. We defected based on the lack of internal democracy in the PDP and our aim is winning the presidential election by APC,” he said.
The state Governor, Babatunde Fashola, said that the party was glad to accommodate the new members.
Fashola urged them to ensure that the party’s interest was placed above individual interest, saying that there would be a level-playing ground.
Meanwhile, the state chapter of PDP described the defection of Finnih and his group to the APC as a welcome development.
The PDP Publicity Secretary, Gani Taofik, told NAN, “Finnih and his group have long been out of PDP. The defection ceremony today is just a charade for people who have long left our fold.
“Finnih and his group had always worked against the PDP even when they were our members. Their roles of playing moles and fifth columnists in our party have been extinguished. They had no choice but to be part and parcel of the APC, their real party.”
He advised other members of the party who were not willing to abide by its rules to exit or risk being disciplined.
Taofik said, “The Lagos PDP can no longer tolerate insubordination. It is no longer business as usual. We want to enforce party discipline to the letter.”
He, however, assured PDP’s loyal members that the party would emerge victorious in the 2015 general elections.
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