Big Loss for APC As Aregbesola’s Loyalists Announce Defection

Big Loss for APC As Aregbesola’s Loyalists Announce Defection

  • A former commissioner for LG and chieftaincy affairs in the administration of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola in Osun state, Barrister Kolapo Alimi has decamped to the PDP
  • The former commissioner formally defected to the opposition PDP at the party's secretariat on Wednesday, June 15
  • This is coming as there seems to be no end in sight to the crisis between the Osun state Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola and his predecessor and now minister of interior, Rauf Aregbesola

On Wednesday, June 15, a former commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs in Osun, Kolapo Alimi, defected to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Alimi, one of staunch the supporters of the Minister of Interior and former governor of the state, Rauf Aregbesola, announced his defection at the PDP secretariat in Osogbo.

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Vanguard reports that Alimi, a lawyer, served as a two-term commissioner during Aregbesola’s administration as governor of the state.

Rauf Aregbesola, Osun 2022, PDP, APC, Kolapo Alimi
Ahead of the Osun 2022 polls, Aregbesola’s loyalist Kolapo Alimi joins PDP. Photo credit: RAUF AREGBESOLA
Source: Facebook

Kolapo Alimi, Aregbesola's loyalist

He was also a staunch member of The Osun Progressives (TOP), a caucus within the chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), backed by Aregbesola.

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Sen. Ademola Adeleke, PDP members welcome Kolapo Alimi

Alimi, who was received by the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, caretaker chairman of the party, Dr Akintunde Akindele and other PDP members, said that he left APC because of what he called marginalisation.

Although he said that Aregbesola could not leave APC because of his stake in it, the former commissioner, however, stated that he decided to dump the party because he could no longer withstand the maltreatment allegedly being meted out to him and others.

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He said:

“We cried out to so many times without any solution.
“You know Aregbesola himself is a bigwig in APC. He cannot leave the party, but to some of us who can no longer withstand the heat that the state government is turning on us, we have to move out."

Alimi, however, appealed to the people of the state to come out en masse to vote for Adeleke in the July 16 governorship election.

In his remarks, Adeleke said Alimi’s defection to PDP would boost the chances of the party in the election.

Crisis breaks out at Osun Govt House, allegations raised against leaders

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that crisis broke out at the Osun state Government House, Osogbo, the state capital, as some members of the APC protested alleged moves by the party’s leadership to manipulate primary election results in favour of some aspirants.

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It was reported that APC had conducted primary elections into the state House of Assembly and House of Representatives respectively.

According to the report, non-announcement of the results by the committee had created confusion and conflicting results have flooded social media, apportioning victories and defeats to different aspirants.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Esther Odili avatar

Esther Odili (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Esther Odili is a journalist and a Politics/Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng with 6+ years of experience. She Holds OND and HND in Mass Communication from the Nigerian Institue of Journalism (NIJ), where she was recognized as the best student in print journalism in 2018. Before joining Legit.ng, Esther has worked with other reputable media houses, such as the New Telegraph newspaper and Galaxy Television. In 2024, Esther obtained a certificate in advanced digital reporting from the Google News Initiative. Email: esther.odili@corp.legit.ng.