‘Defection: Adeleke, PDP Jittery, Plan Fake Adagunodo’s Remembrance’-Babayemi’s Supporters

Supporters of a former Governorship Aspirant in Osun State, Prince Dotun Babayemi, have described as fake, the alleged planning of one year remembrance of late Hon Soji Adagunodo, by Governor Ademola Adeleke and People’s Democratic party (PDP) in the State.

Late Adagunodo was the National Vice Chairman of PDP, South West, also the former Chairman of the party in the state.

He was with the Prince Dotun Babayemi group of the party till he breathed his last on Monday, May 8, 2023.

Reacting to the alleged plans to mark the one year remembrance of the deceased, Babayemi group allege that late Adagunodo was fiercely fought by the Adelekes and their supporters till his end last year, even as they refused to participate in any of his burial rites.

They said the decision by Adeleke to mark Adagunodo remembrance was due to the impending mass defection of chieftains and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) across Osun State to All Progressive Congress (APC)

In a statement jointly signed by some leaders in the Babayemi group, an erstwhile zonal leader of the party, Barrister Ojo Williams, Mr Emmanuel Monyeh and Prince Adelani Ajanaku, after a meeting to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of the former PDP South West Chairman, accused the administration of Governor Adeleke and the state party executive of playing politics with the repose of the deceased.

Williams, Monyeh and Ajanaku decried the alleged plans by the Adeleke administration through the party at the state and zonal levels to feign being sympathetic to late Adagunodo who they derided even as recent as yesterday.

“At a meeting of his ardent followers held at Osogbo on Monday, we, the victimized by the party because of the defense of the democratic ideals we stood for, met to commemorate the activities organized for him (Adagunodo)last year and to deliberate on programs outlined to immortalize him today” they explained

According to them “It’s unfortunate that some of those who pretended to support him became renegades and turncoats for a mess of pottage even before he became cold in his grave and are now hell-bent to destroy all he stood for by acting as agents provocateurs”

They wondered why the people who derided and denigrated Adagunodo even at death could turn around to claim they were remembering him at the first anniversary of his demise; stressing,”this contradicts logic and it’s a joke that must stop forthwith”

“Adeleke and his people as well the party, did everything to frustrate the late Adagunodo. When he died, they laughed him to scorn and even danced skelewu on his grave. Now, because of the impending mass defection of thousands of Omooba Dotun Babayemi’s and Adagunodo’s supporters, they (Adeleke and the PDP),want to be clever by half by pretending now to be sympathetic to the course of late Adagunodo who they fought till death; they are even planning a fake one year rememberance” they maintained.

The leaders in the release, further insisted that injustice and marginalization within the PDP were beyond measures, maintaining that nothing would stop the planned movement of thousands members of the group.

“They are begging and moving about with money for us not to cross over to APC but it’s already a late call. When they had the opportunity, they were abusing us all over the place.They also started remembering leaders of the party hitherto denigrated to achieve this purpose with a joint call to reactivate the jettisoned Elders Forum.For us, our involvement in APC will bear fruits as the party will have clean sweeps at the coming polls in 2026” the leaders assured.