Embattled Ekiti lawmaker, Aribisogan, dumps PDP for APC

The lawmaker representing Ikole Constituency I in Ekiti State House of Assembly, Chief Gboyega Aribisogan, who has been having a running battle with the house, has finally dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Chief Aribisogan, who is currently serving a suspension from the Assembly, had insisted that he is actually being persecuted by Governor Ayodele Fayose, using the lawmakers and had maintained innocence in the allegations of hobnobbing with enemies of the state government and Governor Fayose.

The PDP in the state, led by Gboyega Oguntuwase, had set up a five-man panel to probe Aribisogan for sundry offences against the party, but he refused to appear before the panel on the grounds that the panel had already been told what to do and a decision already taken.

The lawmaker had defected on Tuesday along with other PDP members at a ceremony held at his Ward 7, Ikole Local Government Area of the state.

Aribisogan, who was received along with the other defectors by the deputy chairman of the APC in the state, Mrs Kemi Olaleye,  said his defection was as a result of the breaking into factions of the PDP in the state, claiming that this had made his “stay in the party extremely difficult.”

According to him, he finally took the decision to join APC “after due consultation” with his constituents and pursuant to Section 109, sub-section 1(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.

Aribisogan said: “Democracy is all about good governance, service delivery, community and state interest. 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 wh will join hands with the progressives to remove the albatross called PDP from Ekiti political space in the coming days.”

He vowed to ensure that “all efforts to silence the opposition voice from  Ekiti political space is resisted” because, according to him, “democracy allows for objective criticisms and separation of powers which is the principle of the rule of law.”

Ekiti PDP is currently in two factions, with a faction loyal to Ali Modu Sheriff being led by Williams Ajayi, but doesn’t enjoy the support of Governor Fayose, who has, on several occasions, expressed his loyalty to Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led faction.