About sixteen months after defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a former commissioner of Health in Oyo State, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan, has returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Adeduntan had in February 2023 attributed his departure from the APC to support Governor Seyi Makinde’s second-term bid, citing fraudulent primaries, particularly within the Oyo APC.
Accompanied by his supporters, Adeduntan was received by the leadership of the Oyo APC, led by the state secretary, Mr. Tajudeen Olanite, at the state secretariat of the party in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, on Wednesday.
Speaking at the party office, the former commissioner emphasized that his departure from the APC for the PDP was against his personal wish and desire but in response to calls from emissaries of Governor Seyi Makinde to support his second-term ambition.
He added that he yielded to the call to support Makinde at a time when he faced a difficult choice between two of his brothers, Senator Teslim Folarin and Chief Adebayo Adelabu, who both contested for the governorship.
Adeduntan, however, expressed bafflement that after he and his supporters “labored to ensure Makinde won the second-term election, the governor no longer answers his calls or returns messages,” preferring to relate with “minions who are servile and obedient,” rather than people with “superior intellect.”
Addressing party members, Adeduntan said his focus was on having a united Oyo APC to dislodge the PDP from governing the state in 2027.
In the next state elections, he stated that Makinde and the Oyo PDP would be up against “political generals” in the APC, united in one brotherhood to reclaim the Agodi government house.
Adeduntan said: “All we need is a united APC in Oyo State. By the grace of God, it will be a united APC facing the PDP in the 2027 general election. I never legally defected; I am only returning home. This is not about ambition. Let the best person emerge for the 2027 general elections, and my support is assured. We will see who Governor Seyi Makinde will bring as a candidate to defeat the generals in the APC spread across all zones of the state.
“Our exit from PDP Oyo State at this time is not pecuniary but patriotic and preemptive, as we foresee serious foreboding in Oyo State politics if these shenanigans and political plans are allowed to manifest.
“In light of the above, we are out of Oyo State PDP today, under the leadership of Governor Makinde, and back to APC today, June 12, 2024, Nigeria’s Democracy Day.”
In a symbolic handover of the APC flag to Adeduntan, the Oyo APC Secretary, Tajudeen Olanite, urged Adeduntan and his supporters to immediately begin attending party meetings from the ward to the local government levels.
Also speaking, the chairman of Oyo South of the Oyo APC, Mr. Mojeed Olaoya, described Adeduntan as one of those who formed APC and remained irrevocably committed to building the party.
Olaoya, like Adeduntan, also expressed confidence that the APC would reclaim governance of Oyo State in the 2027 elections.
He said the party was committed to forging a united front ahead of the next general elections, noting that Makinde was re-elected for a second term due to the crisis and division within the Oyo APC.