Babayemi’s Tsunami Hits Osun PDP, APC rejoices
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has allowed its flaw to take the best. The party, at all levels, lacks the basics means or mechanism of settling internal disputes or wranglings. A look at the party from the national level down to Osun State reveals a depleted structure of once the most “popular” political party in the whole of African continent.
Dotun Babayemi’s final departure from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress spells doom for the party that returned to power in 2022 at least 12 years after the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja kicked former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola out of power.
The Gbongan prince started his rather rough journey in politics as far back as 2014. He set his eye on the Senate. And since that time he has been pulling crowds though it’s earned through his “philanthropic” works for the impoverished people of the state.
He left the APC and swiftly embraced the Action Democratic Party (ADP) which he financed for the 2018 gubernatorial election. Mr. Moshood Adeoti, an erstwhile Secretary to the State Government (SSG) was the gubernatorial candidate then. Despite the fact that the party was unknown, both Babayemi’s ADP and its gubernatorial candidate that time were able to perform well to a large extent.
He was the senatorial candidate of the ADP for the Osun West district. He was able to poll more than 40,000 votes. It’s very rare in Osun State politics for a politician to use a relatively unknown party to achieve such. The bottom line is that Dotun Babayemi is a grass root politician that any party determined to (keep) succeed should cherish.
He joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Of course, he couldn’t do much to attain his (set) ambition in any other apart aside the well-established PDP and APC. He wanted to be the party’s candidate for the 2022 gubernatorial election and that’s the genesis of the current depletion of the PDP in the state of the living spring.
Two parallel primary elections were conducted. Dotun Babayemi had in his camp top elders of the party including the former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola. Honourable Adelani Ajanaku was the returning officer for the Babayemi’s factional primary election. Ajanaku also hails from Gbongan, the headquarters of Ayedaade Local Government Area.
The national headquarters of the PDP and its then chairman Iyorchia Ayu recognized the Adeleke’s factional primary election and the Edge indigene got the ticket of the PDP. A battle over the authentic candidate of the party ensued and the two sides hit their campaigns.
Babayemi approached the court and he was there till after the election. He didn’t campaign against the party and he himself voted for the PDP. Online Parrot News was in Gbongan for the 2022 election. The voters chose the PDP over the then ruling All Progressives Congress and its candidate, Adegboyega Oyetola, who is likely going to run against Adeleke for a rematch.
The Adeleke’s side in the local government area organized a press conference and it announced expulsion of Dotun Babayemi, the convener of Atunto Osun, from the PDP. There should be negotiation and renegotiation at least to ensure peace and tranquility within the political party.
Most of the loyalists of Dotun Babayemi have moved en masse to the APC, a party that looks forward to taking back power in 2026. Ajanaku, Dapo Adediran, an Osun Assembly aspirant among others have taken their “structure” to the APC.
Online Parrot News finds out that Babayemi’s followers across the 30 local government areas and the Area office have defected to the All Progressives Congress. In fact, the political party has set up a committee to welcome the ADP senatorial candidate back “home”.
Babayemi’s tsunami is set to hit the Osun State chapter of the PDP and erode it of its popularity. It’s most likely Babayemi retain the support of the over 40,000 voters (in Osun West Senatorial District alone).
Can the PDP afford to lose 40,000 votes in Osun West Senatorial District alone? That’s huge and the APC knows it has got a boost for its bid for power. It’s simply a matter of time to see events as they unfold.
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