Osun 2018: PDP woos LP guber aspirant, Akinbade, says we have wronged you

As preparations for 2018 governorship poll in Osun gathers momentum, the chairman, caretaker committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Alhaji Sarafa Tunji Ishola, on Tuesday continued his reconciliatory move as he led a delegation to woo former Secretary to  Osun State Government (SSG), Alhaji Fatai Akinbade back into the party.

Akinbade, had defected from the PDP before the conduct of 2014 governorship election to the Labour Party (LP) to emerge as the party’s standard bearer in the gubernatorial poll, which was won by Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

Ishola, who stormed Akinbade’s residence in Government Reserved Area (GRA), Osogbo said that the PDP had wronged the former SSG and pleaded that he should come back to the party, which he decsribed as Akinbade’s home.

However, Akinbade, who commended the PDP for the visit said he would have to get back to the stakeholders in the LP before giving tangible response to the PDP’s appeal, saying “I am already seeing myself back in the PDP.”

While begging Akinbade to forgive the party and give way for genuine and sincere reconciliation of issues that led to his exit from the PDP, Ishola said there was need for those who had left the party to return if PDP would defeat APC in the August, 2018 governorship poll.

Addressing members of the LP and PDP at the residence of Akinbade, he disclosed that the PDP had visited the former national secretary of PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola to seek forgiveness, saying that Oyinlola had forgiven the party for the injustice meted out on him which forced him to join the APC.

According to Ishola, “we are here today to beg Oluomo (Akinbade). There is bound to be offences in politics. So, our brother, Alhaji Akinbade, forgive us and return to PDP. There has never been any party that ruled Nigeria for 16 years since independence in 1960. We need to reconcile our differences.

“Osun people are clamouring for transformation and 2018 is vital in Osun. The people are already asking for the exit of APC and we shouldn’t disappoint them. We shouldn’t disobey the people of Osun. We will still beg other people like SSG and commissioners” he posited.

Reacting,  Akinbade said that himself and other aspirants and members of the LP had agreed to return to PDP so that “we can defeat APC in the state.”

Akinbade said, “PDP is the only solution to Osun challenges. Osun people will not be happy with us if we should misuse this opportunity of this election. To prevent the APC from rigging this governorship election, we need to reduce APC’s numerical strength.”