5th August, 2014
Osun State was agog today as the All Progressives Congress, APC, organised a mega rally ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
During the rally which attracted thousands of party supporters and dignitaries, former governor of the state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to APC along with his teeming supporters.
There was drama as Oyinlola’s defection was almost thwarted by soldiers who were deployed to Okuku, his home town, to block all roads leading to the town to prevent him from leaving Osogbo for the mega rally.
Unknown to the soldiers, Oyinlola, a retired soldier, had sneaked out of town and was already at Government House in Osogbo before their arrival.
Oyinlola was the National Secretary of the PDP but fell out with the party’s leadership and was sidelined. He made several attempts to reclaim his position but failed. When the PDP leadership heard that he was planning to defect to APC, they persuaded him to rescind his decision but the pleas fell on deaf ears until Tuesday when he defected to the APC. Other former governors of the state are in APC.
Oyinlola is considered to be one of the leading politicians in Osun State and his defection is a big boost to APC a few days before the governorship election.
The incumbent APC governor, Rauf Aregbesola is the leading contender against PDP’s Iyiola Omisore.