Reactions, on Tuesday, trailed the defection of some chieftains of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo state.

Olumuyiwa Adu, the PDP House of Representatives candidate for the Akure South/North federal constituency in the 2022 bye-election, had joined other popular stalwarts to dump the opposition party for the APC.

Receiving the defectors, the state chairman of the APC, Ade Adetimehin, said the defection of Mr Adu and hundreds of opposition members and chieftains to the ruling party has ‘ended the PDP’ in Ondo state.

“This is the end of the opposition in Ondo State. This is the large part of PDP and other opposition combined together, joining the ruling party in Ondo. We have grounded the PDP with this defection,” Mr Adetimehin said on Monday while receiving the members of the opposition to the ruling APC.

He explained that the APC was able to attract the members of the PDP into the fold of the ruling party because Governor Rotimi Akeredolu raised the standard of progressive politics in the state.

“We are able to achieve this because Governor Akeredolu is working hard to uplift the standard of progressive APC in Ondo State. Since we came on board, we have been receiving from opposition, our party has been waxing stronger every day, and no member of our party has ever defected to any political party.

“We are well structured and we won’t disappoint the people of Ondo State, with what the people of the state were able to give us during the last election, you will know that APC is on ground in Ondo State, we know our onions. We shall continue to serve the people of the state as we have promised,” he added.

But reacting in a statement, the PDP said Mr Adetimehin “goofed” with the statement credited to him that the opposition party had been grounded with the defection.

Kennedy Peretei, the spokesperson for the PDP in the state, described the comments of the APC chairman as unguarded and monumental goof.

“Perhaps, the APC state chairman (Adetimehin) would have been correct, if he said his party has grounded Ondo State in just six years that it has been at the saddle.

“Is Ondo state health sector not grounded under the APC-led government as doctors and nurses leave the state employment in droves? Has the APC government not grounded the free school shuttle buses that used to provide succour for students and their parents? Has the APC government not turned the hitherto clean streets of Akure into huge dumpsites? Has the state capital that used to be lit up at night not become a ghost of its former self? Has the APC government not grounded economic activities in the cities by failing to provide soft loans to traders and artisans? If Adetimehin was not economical with the truth, he should have admitted that his party has grounded Ondo state, not the PDP,” he said in the statement obtained by Peoples Gazette.

Mr Peretie, who noted that Mr Adetimehin might have been under the influence of alcohol for making such comment, said the APC chairman should not rejoice yet with the attention-seeking decampees.

He said, “a state chairman that used to be the butt of every joke within APC circle for serially losing his polling unit and electoral ward can have the audacity to say he has grounded PDP in the state is laughable.

“Adetimehin was formerly registered at Isalu/Jigbokin ward in Idanre local government, where he was always beaten silly during elections. He has now relocated to Ofosu/Onisherere ward where he was beaten again during the last National Assembly elections.

“To cover his shame, he had to resort to the use of thugs and security agents during the State House of Assembly Election on 18th March 2023 to win by default. A victory that is being contested at the election tribunal,”

While noting that anyone is free to defect, Mr Peretei said the PDP remained a strong opposition party in Ondo when compared to the ruling APC which has depleted the country’s economy in the last eight years.

“The PDP is grounded in Ondo State is nothing but foolhardiness, the truth is that APC as a political party has been the architect of Nigeria’s economic and political woes in the last eight years,” he added.