A member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, representing Ikole constituency, Gboyega Aribisogan, has dumped the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Mr. Aribisogan has been at loggerheads with Governor Ayodele Fayose and the state legislature over allegations of disloyalty.
He is currently serving a suspension from the house as a result, a penalty he has rejected as illegal.
He is leaving for the APC along with about 200 members of the PDP.
Speaking during his defection on Tuesday at his Ward 7 in Ikole Local Government Area, Mr. Aribisogan said his action was predicated on the lingering factional crisis and division of the state chapter of the PDP.
He said the situation at the party had made his stay in the party “extremely difficult.”
The embattled legislator was received into the party by the state APC executive council led by the Deputy Chairman,Kemisola Olaleye.
Mr. Aribisogan said he took the decision to join APC after consulting with his constituents and in line with Section 109, sub-section 1(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.
He also said the APC had shown to Nigerians that it was capable of allowing freedom of speech, good governance and protection of collective interest of all Nigerians
“Democracy is all about good governance, service delivery, community and state interest,” he said.
“A situation where a political party like PDP is dangling precariously between survival and extinction could no longer provide enabling political environment to provide good governance and political engineering.
“Therefore as a representative of my people, I have no option than to go along with them by moving to a party that will continue to protect their collective interest.
“I want to assure my supporters and my new political party of my absolute commitment and loyalty in pursuance of the party’s set objectives and goals.
“I pledge to be a true party man who will join hands with the progressives to remove he albatross called PDP from Ekiti State political space in the coming days.”
