Ekiti guber: Drama as candidate dumps Obasanjo’s ADC party

Wole Balogun, Ado-Ekiti

There was mild drama recently, as the candidate of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s backed African Democratic Congress (ADC), in Ekiti State, Ayodele David-Adesua, dumped the party to secure the ticket of another party, Democratic Alternative (DA) to contest the forthcoming poll.

After dumping the party, Adesua repainted the building which used to serve as ADC’s secretariat at Ureje area along Ikere Road with the colour and logo of the DA. A source disclosed that David-Adesua, who until his defection, was the major financial backer of the ADC in Ekiti, allegedly felt betrayed by the national leadership of the party, despite kicking against the alleged plan to give the governorship ticket he had won to a friend of former Osun State governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

The Director General of the Ayodele David-Adesua Campaign Organisation, Mr. Gbenga Ogedengbe, confirmed the development, saying that the DA offers an opportunity for genuine transformation of the state and said the implication of the development is that the structure of ADC has collapsed into the DA. Ogedengbe explained that the change of name at the party’s state secretariat became necessary as a way to accommodate the new party. He said: “In as much as Ayodele David-Adesua, the sole financier of ADC in Ekiti has dumped it for DA, nothing about ADC would be left behind, even the party office. Our candidate has sought the nomination of DA and was adopted as the candidate before the close of nomination and submission of candidates’ name to the Independent National Electoral Commission. “Ayodele David-Adesua is standing as the candidate of Democratic Alternative at the July 14 governorship election and is canvassing for the votes of the good people of Ekiti State to provide the right and quality leadership they have been yearning for.

The imminent emergence of David-Adesua on the platform of Democratic Alternative as the next executive governor of Ekiti State should not shock anybody who is basing his political judgment on an illusionary parameter of two-party system.”