Former PDP spokesman in Ondo, Kennedy Peretei, has slammed the opposition party for being disorganised and rudderless.

Mr Peretei, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress alongside other opposition figures in Ondo, stated this on Friday during an event held in Akure to officially welcome the defectors.

“Let me take my reference from Harold Laswell’s definition of politics as ‘who gets what, when and how.’ If you are in politics and not in government, you are just in a social club. I do not mean Nigeria should be a one-party state, but when opposition parties lack deliberate, coordinated, and focused leadership, then there is no justification for remaining in such opposition,” Mr Peretei said while being received into the APC.

The former PDP spokesman noted that the absence of purposeful leadership compelled him and others to defect to the APC to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

According to him, the decision was informed by the failure of opposition parties to provide credible leadership, strategic direction, and coordinated efforts capable of winning elections and forming government.

He added that rather than providing credible opposition, the PDP had become distracted by leadership tussles and power struggles, rendering it incapable of fulfilling its constitutional role.

“When the leadership of the opposition is not deliberate, coordinated, and focused on how to win elections and form government, there is no justification for remaining there,” Mr Peretei said.

He further disclosed that the deep internal crisis within the PDP forced him and other key figures in the state to join the APC.

Mr Peretei said a group, Nigeria Workstation, comprising former members of the PDP, SDP, and AA, decided to align with the progressive family under the ruling APC to advance development and inclusion.

“From today, there is only one party in Ondo state, the APC. Perhaps from the graveyard, there may be one or two shrill sounds, but they are mere echoes,” Mr Peretei declared.

APC chief in the state, Ade Adetimehin, who represented the national chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, assured the new members of equal treatment within the party.

“Our doors are wide open. This party is big enough to accommodate everyone willing to work for progress. Together, we will continue to build on the Renewed Hope agenda of Mr President,” he said.

Mr Peretei led several prominent opposition figures from various political parties, including the SDP and AA, to the APC. Among the defectors are the former chair of Akoko North-West LGA and SDP chieftain, Olutope Adebambo, and former SDP deputy governorship candidate, Rachael Ajayi. Others include Blessing Ologun, a former assistant treasurer of the PDP, and Omotayo Obolo, a former special assistant to ex-Governor Olusegun Mimiko.