A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has urged opposition parties to stop blaming President Bola Tinubu for the defection of their members to the ruling party.
Mr Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker, made the remarks while speaking with journalists on Sunday in Osogbo.
The APC chieftain said that rather than blaming the President, members of the opposite parties should focus on fixing the crisis within their folds.
Noting that political realignment was not new in Nigeria, Mr Oyintiloye said that the recent wave of defections was due to ideological persuasion and not coercion as is being speculated in some quarters.
He said that the opposition parties were witnessing mass defections of members due to unresolved internal wranglings over the years.
He stated, “The defectors claimed that they were being sidelined, undermined, unfairly treated by their former parties, leaving them with no option but to switch to a party with a sustainable transformation agenda. This season of political recalibration that is leading to growing number of Nigerian politicians defecting en masse to APC is an indication that the party is well structured to transform the country through the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of the President.’’
Mr Oyintiloye, who predicted more defections from the opposition parties, especially the Peoples Democratic Party, advised them not to blame the President for lack of cohesion in managing their internal affairs
He also said that the impression in some quarters that the wave of defections of members of the opposition parties to APC could lead to one party system was not correct.
He stated, “How can the wave of defections to the ruling party lead to one party system when we still have more than 60 registered political parties in the country. Rather than opposition parties blaming the President for their failure, they should reserve their energy in fixing their internal crisis.’’
Mr Oyintiloye, however, called on the leadership of APC to strengthen internal democracy within its fold to protect its old members and strategically manage the defectors to avoid implosion.
The former lawmaker also said that those defecting to the APC should not be allowed to displace loyal party members who labour to build the party over the years.
