By OLA AJAYI

IBADAN—THE Action Congress of  Nigeria, ACN, in Oyo State has said the desperation of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to have the former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Rasheed Ladoja return to its fold is an indication that there is dearth of quality people in the party.

This came as the PDP intensified effort to get the former governor back into the party. The party’s chieftains had wooed Ladoja and made him to attend meetings with them at the residence of Chief Richard Akinjide.

Ladoja has attended two meetings in the last two weeks with the PDP chieftains. The meeting tagged the expanded Elders’Forum was chaired by Chief Akinjide.

Those in attendance at the four-hour meeting at the weekend included Chief Yekeen Adeojo, former Deputy National Chairman, South West, Hazeem Gbolarumi, former Governor of Oyo State, General Raji Rasaki (rtd), Elder Wole Oyelese, former Minister of Power and Steel, Dr Dejo Raimi, Dr Saka Balogun, Chief Dejo Olaniyan, Chief Layiwola Olakojo, former SSG, Dr Omololu Olunloyo, former Governor of Oyo State and Alhaji Taofeek Arapaja, former deputy governor.

ACN, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Dauda Kolawole, said that as much as the party had regards and respect for Senator Ladoja, the feverish devotion of the PDP to his return was tantamount to giving the glory that was due to God and the voting public in Oyo State to a common man.

“It is the people of Oyo State and God that the ACN depends on for an all-round success in the administration of the state. Yes, Ladoja is a good politician but his politics has been over-hyped and mystified by people who have squandered the name of their party through their shameful rule of Oyo State.

Ladoja’s political fortress was his passable performance while he was the governor of our state. Senator Abiola Ajimobi has, in less than one year, performed even better than him. This is our strength; the Oyo people are our fortress.

“In less than one year, the  Ajimobi government has shown that it was a permanent erasure of the Adedibu-type godfather menace which our state was known by under PDP; we have brought sanity to the art of governance by eliminating bus-stop and bolekaja politics; we have purchased 1000 tricycles for our people.”