APC Brought ‘Negative Change’ On Us, Says Ondo Federal Lawmaker

By Niyi Olutunde, Akure

A member of the House of Representatives representing Owo/Ose federal constituency in Ondo State at the National Assembly, Dr Bode Ayorinde has said he left the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because of the negative change the party has brought on Nigerians.

Dr Bode Ayorinde

Ayorinde said this on Tuesday in Owo at a stakeholders meeting and flag off ceremony for his campaign in order to recontest in the forthcoming 2019 House of Representatives election.

According to him, he said that series of meetings were held at different locations in Abuja to perfect their defection from the APC to the opposition PDP.

The lawmaker, who was among the House of Representatives members that defected to the opposition party on July 24, said the APC has disappointed many democrats.

Ayorinde said, “All promises cancelled when I was in APC I was one of those people complaining about PDP. But PDP committed a mistake by wanting to retain power in the south after eight years of Obasanjo, two years of Ya’Adua north, six years of Jonathan south and the north have more population. So it was not even about performance it is about fairness, justice equity that we all felt that government will go back to the north.

“However we made a mistake of bringing a lifeless President who he has very good intentions but he doesn’t has the capacity to carry out his intentions. Some people just hijacked the government so he could not secure Nigeria, he could not provide the jobs, are we not Nigerians. There is no federal government project in Ondo state, so when I left APC I left because the change that was promised was not a positive change, it was a negative change, hike in prices, unemployment, insecurity among others and I felt that someone could do it better which is Atiku. Am not happy with Buhari, let us try another person.

The lawmaker, while also reacting on the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Electoral Act, said whether Buhari sign or not the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar will emerge in the forthcoming presidential election.

He said, “the electoral, orderliness, fairness is in the hand of Nigerians, not in the hands of any law. However good or bad the law is, it is the human being that is matter, it is the same electoral act that ushered in President Buhari and we will still use it to bring in Atiku whether it was sign or not what am interested in is about Nigerians.

“We are just waiting for Atiku to be sworn in, those who voted PDP out, the N-PDP who broke out of the PDP and went to APC have left the APC, they are the winners, they have backed in PDP including many of us who are never in PDP before. The game is over for APC, the elections will come and nothing will happen, there won’t be any killing, everybody will come out enmmass to vote for Atiku, their votes will be counts and Atiku will be declared winner”.

Speaking on his chances to defeat governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s preferred candidate, Ayorinde said he would give a very wide gap to defeat the APC candidate.

His word, “Am contesting against Otunba Timehin Adelegbe who was a Commissioner under Akeredolu’s government not Akeredolu himself because Akeredolu is not contesting for House of Representatives and what’s the strength of APC in Owo/Ose?, I am an Achiever because I have contributed immensely to this local government, Owo/Ose federal constituency, even to the state as a whole. I will give a very wide gap to my brother, Adelegbe. He knows that when am contesting he’s own time is not yet to come”.

On the aggrieved members in the party, Ayorinde said “we have just very few aggrieved members, every primary will always lead to one crisis or the other and it is the duty of a leader to beg those who are aggrieved and we are doing it because there is always another time.

“This time around we are not going to accept Minister of State in Ondo, Atiku must give us a substantial grade ‘A’ Minister in Ondo state anything sort of that I will not accept it as member of PDP if Atiku emerge. We are oil producing state and we are going to be PDP state, we are going to scored more than 51% vote cast”.

He said that campaign activity have started in the 23 wards that made up his constituency noting that he remained the best candidate to give adequate representation to the Owo and Ose people if voted again.

Speaking earlier, Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo state, Mr. Clement Faboyede said the opposition party remained united and shall rally support for all its candidates to take over power in 2019 in all the elective positions.

Faboyede who was represented by the party’s State Women Leader, Mrs. Esther Ebiwonjumi expressed more optimism that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would be voted in as the next president and also sworn in.

“So, we are appealing to everybody that let us come together and work for the success of our candidates who are vying for various offices in this 2019 election. The party has set-up a reconciliation committee in order to bring everybody together.

“By all standard Ayorinde is qualified for the job, even more than qualified for House of Representatives. By his position, integrity, education background he is the type of the people that we needed for House of Representatives in Ondo state”, he added.