The Oyo State chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party has asked the state Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan, to resign immediately following his defection to the opposition party, All Progressives Congress.
The state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Akeem Olatunji, said this in a statement issued on Monday.
Olatunji said Olaniyan should resign as the deputy governor “since he wilfully abandoned the political party and the votes that produced him as such on the party’s joint ticket.”
He warned that the party would not allow Olaniyan and his new party to enjoy the benefits of the votes cast for the PDP in the last governorship election.
Olatunji said the PDP leadership in the state, South-West region and national level intervened at different times to resolve the situation fuelling the suspected defection plan, but Olaniyan left.
The statement read in part, “Our position is simple and very clear on this matter and as a matter of legal implication; the votes in any election in Nigeria are to political parties and not for candidates.
“It is on this note that the PDP, as the ruling party in the state, is advising Olaniyan not to be carried away by lies and deceits and be bamboozled into self delusion of thinking he can be used as a tool to steal Oyo people’s mandate through the backdoor.”
