Chief Segun Adewale, a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman in Lagos State, has urged the party’s leadership at the national and state levels to devise a mechanism for the seamless integration of defectors.
Adewale gave the advice in a Saturday interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
He spoke out in response to the defection of the Lagos4Lagos Movement, a splinter group within the Lagos State APC.
According to him, PDP leaders should start making efforts to integrate all defectors so that what should be a boon to the party does not become a curse.
“This (defection of the Lagos4Lagos Movement) is good; the more the merrier,” he said.
“With people joining us from the APC and the way the PDP national body is settling differences, I believe now is the time for us to take Lagos.”
“What remains to be seen is how we can successfully integrate them into the party and manage them so that it is a win-win situation.”
He believes that the defectors should follow the party’s constitution and collaborate with the leadership and everyone else in the party.
“With this, we can deliver Lagos for the PDP,” Adewale added. This is a lucky omen.
“With nearly seven million registered voters in Lagos, and this group coming in, we’ll easily get two million votes.”
“What’s the big deal if the PDP has 200,000 votes in each of the 20 local government areas, totaling approximately four million votes?”
With this advancement, it is possible.”
According to NAN, former Senate President Bukola Saraki met with the leaders of the disgruntled APC members and wooed them into joining the PDP.
Saraki, the Chairman of the PDP’s National Reconciliation Committee, recently met with members of the Lagos4Lagos Movement and its leader, Mr Olajide Adediran, to discuss the defection.
The APC faction led by Adediran held parallel ward, local government, and state congresses across the state.
The alleged marginalization and imposition of candidates on the APC was cited as the reason for the defection by the group.