Oyo APC to Lanlehin, others: prepare for defeat at polls

THE  Oyo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has advised those who defected to other parties as their governorship or National Assembly candidates to prepare for defeat in the February 16 and March 2 elections.

In a statement yesterday in Ibadan, the state capital, by its Publicity Secretary, Dr Azeez Olatunde, the APC said no amount of name-calling and political brickbats would save their political careers.

The ruling party stressed that the defectors left the most popular party with the best internal democracy for less popular parties.

Some APC members joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other political parties last year to contest this year’s general elections.

The ADC governorship candidate, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, also left Accord and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for ADC.

But the APC said the defectors would not be able to revive their political fortunes by joining new parties.

The party said Lanlehin, the Oyo South senatorial candidate, Senator Soji Akanbi and other ADC candidates “entered political wilderness and lost their political bearing and relevance the moment they left APC, which is the party with the best people-oriented programmes”.

The statement noted that Lanlehin went to the Senate on the platform of defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) before it metamorphosed into APC and left with another serving senator.

It said the duo lost their quest to return to the National Assembly as they were floored at the polls by candidates of the APC.

The APC said Lanlehin and the other senator were in a better position to explain their travails to the people, adding that they had lost their political relevance.

The party also said the politicians got themselves in different political squabbles since their departure from APC, the party he described with the best internal democracy.

It reads: “Senator Lanlehin contested for the seat of Oyo South Senatorial District in 2015 and we all know the result. It is amazing to see someone who cannot win an election in nine local government areas aspiring to win the governorship election where there are 33 local government area.

“We will like to remind Senator Lanlehin that he won the election in 2011 based on the strength of our party, the then CAN, and not on his personality or popularity. The same thing happened to Senator Akanbi in 2015, when he rode on the popularity of the APC and the laudable achievements of Governor Abiola Ajimobi to win the Oyo South senatorial seat in the National Assembly.

“We want to tell them and their ilk that no amount of name-calling, brickbats and mudslinging can revive their political career. The people of the state have shown their preference for APC and its candidates.”