The Oyo State Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP).
Olaniyan made the public declaration on Sunday in his private office, Ojoo, Ibadan during a news conference, saying despite dumping the umbrella party, he still remained the deputy governor of the state till May 28, 2023, as he did not resign the job he was sworn in to do on May 29, 2019.
He noted that the only thing that had changed is in party matters, saying his defection is in response to the yearnings and aspirations of his supporters across the 33 Local Government Areas in state and beyond, who had been asking what his next line of action would be and who would be leaving the PDP with him, as he would not be leaving one.
He stated: “I had told you ab initio that, God will show us the way to go. For a journey of one thousand kilometres, it starts with a step. First and foremost, I, Engineer Rauf Aderemi Olaniyan, I am porting to the APC. I am not resigning as the Deputy Governor, I am still the deputy Governor of Oyo state, Engineer Seyi Makinde is still my Governor but there is no aspect of the constitution that says the governor or his deputy cannot part ways politically.”
Olaniyan revealed that different political parties had been calling and inviting him to take their tickets to contest with but he had declined because that is not his aim, as he is neither looking to become the governor nor contest governorship election by all means.
The deputy governor asserted that he is not into politics because he wants to make a name or any pecuniary gain but to make positive impact on the people, saying in the society today, anyone who wants to impact the people would have to do so through political process by joining a party but anyone who does not feel it is necessary to join a political party in order to make impact should not complain about bad political rulership.
The defection puts to rest years of speculation surrounding the political disharmony between Governor Seyi Makinde and his deputy, Olaniyan.
For about two years, there had allegedly been a gap in the relationship between Makinde and Olaniyan, even though none of them had made any public statement to confirm a rift, as sources said Olaniyan had been left out of the scheme of things by both the Governor and the party for years, which made him absent at many state functions.
However, the duo attended a live media chat at the state-owned Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), after which they also sat side-by-side at the final burial ceremony of the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, in Oyo Town, on Saturday.
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