Ex-Ogun LG chair Wale Adedayo defects from APC, to contest council polls under PDP

September 5, 2024 1:30 pm

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun has cleared Wale Adedayo, sacked chair of Ijebu east LGA, to contest in its upcoming primary election for chairmanship aspirants.

In a statement on Wednesday, Afolabi Orekoya, Ogun PDP publicity secretary, said the party has fixed Thursday, September 5, for councillorship primary elections.

He added that chairmanship primary elections will be held on Saturday, September 7, across the 236 wards and 20 local governments in the state.

“Hundreds of aspirants from the 236 Wards and 20 Local Governments of Ogun State obtained the party’s nomination forms and were screened for eligibility to contest in the Local Government Elections coming up in November,” the statement reads

“Among the aspirants screened at the Party Secretariat in Abeokuta was the former Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government, Chief Wale Adedayo who is recontesting for the Chairmanship position in Ijebu East Local Government.

“The party has scheduled Thursday, 5th, and Saturday, 7th September as respective dates for the Councillorship and Chairmanship Primary Elections across the 236 Wards and 20 LGs.

“The members of the party should go out peacefully for the primaries in their various wards to elect the councilors and chairmanship candidates of their choice”.

On August 6, the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) said that the local government polls in the state would hold on November 16.

Babatunde Osibodu, chair of OSIEC, directed political parties, to hold primaries between August 26 to September 9.

‘I’VE RETURNED TO PDP’

Adedayo, who is seeking to reclaim his position, said he has defected the opposition party in the state.

On Wednesday, the ex-LGA chair told TheCable he returned to the PDP two weeks ago.

“I have officially defected to the People’s Democratic Party,” Adedayo said.

“Party is about coming and going now. I don’t need a letter to defect. That’s not in any part of the constitution.

“If you want to join the party, attend the meeting, if you want to leave, you don’t attend the meeting any more, it’s not an employment.

“Well, I wouldn’t describe it as joining PDP actually, It’s like a return. I started in PDP November 2004; that was when I joined PDP. I returned about two weeks now.

“I was the pioneer director of organization of the party in Ogun state, I was the one who opened the PDP secretariat in Abeokuta”

When asked about contesting as governor in the state in an interview with TheCable on July 27, Adedayo said “I’m a member of APC; I won’t say more than that.”

In August 2023, Adedayo was suspended for three months over allegations of maladministration and financial mismanagement.

He had accused Abiodun of hijacking funds meant for the LGAs in the state.

He was subsequently impeached by the councillors in the LGA in September 2023.