A member of the Ogun State House of Assembly representing Odogbolu State Constituency, Hon. Lukman Olalekan Adeleye, says a politician’s decision to leave a political party due to differences should not automatically be regarded as betrayal.
Adeleye stated this while speaking on Super 96.3 FM’s Yoruba programme, Bo Se’nlo, where he discussed political defections and their implications for governance and community development.
He said the Nigerian Constitution allows individuals to leave political parties when they have genuine differences with their parties, adding that such decisions should be considered based on the circumstances surrounding them.
Speaking from his experience, Adeleye said he spent more than 25 years in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, including during the administration of former Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
He explained that internal divisions within the PDP, including leadership disagreements and the 2019 governorship primary dispute between Hon. Ladi Adebutu and the late Prince Buruji Kashamu, and went to support another party
According to him, the division within the party made it difficult for members to have a unified direction, made him and others to support the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, governorship candidate, Hon. Abdulkadir Akinlade, during the 2019 election.
Adeleye also cited poor relationships between politicians and their parties, ideological differences and court cases as some of the factors responsible for political defections.
He noted that the PDP had previously controlled a significant number of governors and lawmakers but has experienced a decline in its representation at both the state and federal levels.
The lawmaker also highlighted his achievements in Odogbolu, including the construction of classroom blocks, provision of healthcare facilities, electrification projects, market stalls, road infrastructure and support for agricultural development.
He maintained that no previous representative of Odogbolu in the Ogun State House of Assembly had performed better than him, while urging the people of the constituency to continue to support effective and result-oriented representation.
