Ogunlewe pledges loyalty to APC

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Finally, after denying cross-carpeting moves, former Minister of Works and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, yesterday, formerly defected to the All Progressives Congress,APC, Lagos State Chapter.

Senator Ogunlewe

But reacting to the defection, the Lagos State chapter of PDP, said he was free to leave the party for APC, if he so desired and that he is a ‘confused man who should go take a rest.’

Ogunlewe, at low key ceremony, officially joined APC with his followers all over Lagos, at the party’s Secretariat, Acme Road, Ogba, area of the state.

He was received by the state Chairman, Alhaji Tunde Balogun and all the State Executive members of the party.

Ogunlewe, on arrival at the party Secretariat, held a private meeting with the party executives where they deliberated on how to make APC stronger in Lagos State.

Subsequently, after duly registered, he was presented with the party’s membership card.

APC Publicity Secretary in the state, Abiodun Salami, told Newsmen that the former minister is now officially member of the ruling party having collected the party’s membership card.

He said, “Senator Ogunlewe came to APC secretariat, Acme, today, Thursday, with his coordinators and supporters in all the 57 councils in Lagos State.

“Ogunlewe, officially joined APC today with all his followers all over Lagos. He met with the state chairman and all the entire party’s executives and we officially received him to the party.

“So, he can now claim to be a member of the party. He has gotten his membership card today. The official declaration would be made public. Anywhere in the world now, Senator Ogunlewe is APC member.”

Ogunlewe had earlier denied media reports that he has defected to the APC, saying the report that he had dumped the party was not true.

He said rumours of his defection was not true, but, he maintained that the party was bedeviled with many crises which if not urgently resolved could spark exodus of people from the party.

Also in May 2019, his son Moyosore Ogunlewe, formally defected to the APC, from PDP.

He defected along with his supporters, who were received into the APC by members led by Alhaji Kehinde Bello, party Chairman in Kosofe Local Government Area.

PDP reacts

However, earlier, reacting to the initial rumours of his defection, the Lagos State chapter of PDP, said he was free to leave the party for APC, if he so desired.

Ogunlewe had threatened PDP to fulfill certain conditions, failure of which he would be left with no choice than to join the ruling APC.

He also described the PDP as an unserious party, saying it is not a party anybody with political future should belong to.

Reacting to Ogunlewe’s statement, Adegbola Dominic, the state chairman of PDP, said his departure from the party would do the party a lot of good.

Dominic said: “Such disparaging remarks are unbecoming and not expected from a 75-year-old man who claims to be a leader of the party.

Ogunlewe has been publicly supporting and hailing one Segun Adewale (aka) Aeroland, who has been openly declared a non-member of our party by the National Working Committee, and who has been disparaging our leaders and terrorizing them with his thugs.

“Ogunlewe has repeatedly lied that he was present at a meeting where I, as state chairman, canvassed support for the candidate of another party. This deliberate falsehood was obviously targeted at creating confusion and disaffection among the party members”.

“A respected former state chairman, Capt. Tunji Shelle (rtd), who was present at the said meeting, noted that Ogunlewe was nowhere near the venue of the meeting. He declared that Ogunlewe is a confused man who should go take a rest.”