Adekunle Akinlade, the deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 Ogun State elections, has officially defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
His announcement came on Tuesday, just days after he publicly resigned from the PDP. Akinlade, popularly known as “Triple A,” had earlier cited “persistent and unresolved internal crises” within the state chapter of the PDP as the reason for his departure. This explanation was detailed in a statement issued in Abeokuta the previous Monday.
A former member of the House of Representatives and the 2019 governorship candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), Akinlade had initially left the APC ahead of the 2023 elections.
Speaking to journalists in Abeokuta on Tuesday, Akinlade confirmed that he is rejoining the APC along with his loyalists from the PDP. According to him, the decision was reached unanimously during a meeting held earlier that day, with a resolution to align with Governor Dapo Abiodun’s leadership.
He said the internal conflicts within the PDP had become irreparable.
“The whole APM family that went to PDP with me, we have all decided that we are going back to APC and by tonight or tomorrow we will try to meet with the Governor and once we have met with the Governor, we will tell him about the decision we have made today that we are back home.
“We believe that the family will have an open hand to accommodate us back into the fold. Governor Dapo Abiodun is the leader of the party, we are going to align with that leadership. Aremo Olusegun Osoba is the father of party, we will align with that.
“So, we will align with the party fully and whoever is a member of the party who falls into that leadership, we will work with that person.”
Commenting on the ongoing push by some political figures to form a new coalition, Akinlade dismissed the move, describing its proponents as power-hungry individuals driven by self-interest.
He said many of those leading the coalition effort are former governors, ministers, and public officials seeking to reclaim the privileges and power they once enjoyed in government.
