Ahead of the 2023 general election, there is a palpable tension in Ondo APC as some aggrieved party leaders in Ondo North Senatorial District set to dump the party for PDP.
Yesterday, a former member of the House of Representatives for Akoko North East/Akoko North West Federal Constituency, Hon. Stephen Olemija and hundreds of his supporters dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to defect to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State.
Olemija, a former APC federal lawmaker, dumped the ruling party and pledged his firm support for the PDP in a welcoming ceremony held on Saturday in Ikare Akoko, in the Akoko North East Local Government Area of the State.
Also There are strong indications that another top chieftain of the ruling APC, Chief Alex Ajipe, who is the South West Director, Social and humanitarian APC Presidential Campaign Council and also the Senatorial Aspirant for Ondo North Senatorial District, is about to decamp to the PDP with all his teeming supporters in Ondo North Senatorial District.
This is following several approaches made to him by the top echelon of the PDP in Abuja to join the Atiku campaign team in exchange for a juicy position in 2023.
PDP leaders are rooting for Ajipe to join the party because they believe he is a grassroots mobiliser and have majority support of the people of Ondo North Senatorial District through his social political group ,Ibi Giga Ambassador , the group that worked for the victory of governor Akeredolu second term in office.
The defection of Olemija is a big blow for the APC Senatorial Candidate in Ondo North, Pastor Jide Ipinsagba who is an Ikare kinsman of Olemija, while the defection would further boost the winning chances of the PDP Candidate, Otunba Modupe.
AJIPE after the primary election that produced pastor Jide Ipinsagba had gone to court to challenge the eligibility of Ipinsagba having been a delegate and also voted for himself at the primary but was advised by Supreme Court last week Thursday to withdraw the case because the court have only 48hrs left to hear the case due to the time permits by the new electoral law which stipulate that all pre election matters must end before January 23.
Immediately after the supreme court verdict, There is a huge disquiet by many APC members in the Ondo North Senatorial District, who claimed they had worked very hard for the charismatic and friendly Ajipe to emerge as the Senatorial candidate of APC.
But now that the ticket was not given to him, Many have indicated that they are unwilling to work for the party at the upcoming polls and may just throw their weight behind PDP and this will be a big blow to the state governor Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu who is from the zone.
Majority of Ajipe's supporters in Ondo North have vowed not to work for the party because the APC senatorial candidate is unknown to them .
All efforts to reach Ajipe on his numbers have so far, proved abortive but his media Aide Solomon Adewoye denied that Ajipe will be leaving the party for PDP.
" Ajipe is a progressive man and cannot leave the party he helped to build at this last minute to another party. Although there is a lot of pressure from opposition party but as you know, he is the South West Director, Social and humanitarian, APC Presidential Campaign Council.
He is working seriously to make sure Tinubu and other APC candidates win the coming general election" he said
Mr Solomon however Said Ajipe will be addressing Newsmen soon on his next move
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