Exclusive: Adeseun quits PDP, joins APC in Oyo

Indications emerged on Thursday that a gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Oyo State, Senator Ayoade Adeseun has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Senator Adeseun, who contested the PDP governorship primary with the incumbent governor of the state, Engr. Seyi Makinde was sighted in Ibadan, the state capital during an enlarged APC stakeholders meeting.

It was reliably gathered that the meeting, which had in attendance some aggrieved APC stakeholders across the state, was organized purposely to reconcile warring factions and other members of the political family ahead of the 2023 elections.

According to Mega Icon magazine source, the meeting was centred on the unity and progress of the party in the state, and not for any political ambition.

Also at the meeting were immediate past Deputy governor, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, former Senator Adesoji Akanbi, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, Alhaji Abu Gbadamosi and former party secretary of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD), Mr. Lasun Adebunmi among others.

The Ogbomoso born politician, Adeseun was elected on a non-party basis as Executive Chairman of the Surulere Local Government, Iresaadu, holding office from March 1996 to January 1997, and was reelected to this position on a party basis, holding office until July 1998. He was the founding State Chairman of the All People’s Party (APP) in Oyo State (Sept 1998 – February 2000). From October 1999 to February 2003 he was Chairman of the Board of Directors, Oyo State Transport Company.

In April 2003 Adeseun was elected a member of the Federal House of Representatives. He was appointed Chairman of the Appropriations Sub Committees on Power & Steel, and Science & Technology and was also a member of House Committees on Appropriations, Education, Judiciary, Information and Gas Resources.Also, he was reelected to the House of Representatives in April 2007 for the Ogo-Oluwa/Surulere Oluyole constituency, running on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform. He was appointed Chairman of the South West Parliamentary Caucus, Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, and member of House Committees on Pension Matters, Rural Development, Sports and National Planning.Adeseun later defected to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2010. In the 9 April 2011 election for the Oyo Central Senate seat, he ran on the (ACN) platform, and won with a total of 105,975 votes.

By Idowu Ayodele, Ibadan