The leadership of the People’s Democratic Party in Osun has said the party is not bothered about the gale of defections rocking it, saying those who have been leaving the party are paperweight politicians without value.
Recall that a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Shuaib Oyedokun, a former governorship aspirant, Dotun Babayemi had in May this year dumped the ruling party.
In this month, no fewer than two other chieftains of the party left PDP.
Just like Oyedokun and Babayemi, another PDP chieftain, Kayode Oduoye recently defected to the major opposition party, All Progressives Congress.
On Tuesday, there was a mild drama in the party following the suspension of a former governorship aspirant and chieftain of PDP, Peter Babalola.
However, Babalola said he had resigned his membership before the announcement of his suspension.
Reacting to the rising exits of PDP members on Wednesday in a radio programme monitored by The Point in Osogbo, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Jacob Areola, described those who have left the party as paperweight politicians, adding that the party is happy to lose them.
He denied that their loss had depleted the party, maintaining that there was no crisis in the ruling party.
“Osun PDP as at today enjoys a relative peace and there is total cohesion. The centre is holding. We don’t have any problem,” he stated.
According to him, the party is gaining other members especially in Irewole Local Government Area of the state, stressing that those who left are “liabilities, only bigwigs in names but in actions, they are paperweight.”
“Baba Shuaib Oyedokun had already left the party. Dotun Babayemi played down the party. Kayode Oduoye had left the party in spirit even before his final exit. They are not bigwigs, they are paperweight. Their anti-party activities speak volume.
“By the performance of the governor, Osun people are happy with PDP. We are happy they left us. Their staying in the party is liability, not asset,” he added.
Also reacting, the immediate past chairman of PDP in the state, Akindele Adekunle argued that Babalola’s exit from the party is rather a good omen for the party rather than a loss.
In a statement he personally signed and issued on Wednesday, Akindele described the constant anti-party activities of Babalola during his time in office as obvious but he decided to tolerate it in order to achieve the desired goals.
He also referred to him as a political lightweight who has no genuine political followership that can disrupt the party chances at the poll.
Akindele further described Babalola as a political virus that would have corrupted loyal members of the party if he was not cut off.
“Based on his antecedent, while I was the party Chairman, i have known for long in the buildup to last general election and gubernatorial election that he was not working for the party but I had to tolerate him throughout my stay in the office.
“He pointedly and obviously worked against our candidate then, Dr Lere Oyewumi which was a glaring case of anti-party but I choose to look away because he was a political lightweight that has no followers and couldn’t have caused any damage at the poll for our candidates.
“Thank God, he has once again demonstrated that and let me congratulate the members of our party, from the ward, local government, federal constituencies, Senatorial districts and the state at large that a political parasite has finally left the party.
“I wish to add that the party is not diminished by any way, rather, the political virus that would have corrupted other loyal party members have been dealt a devastating blow,” the incumbent Special Adviser to Governor Ademola Adeleke on Health said.
