Why I’m defecting to APC-ex-Osun PDP guber aspirant Babayemi

 

Prince Dotun Babayemi was a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State. He narrowly lost the party governorship ticket to Governor Ademola Adeleke in 2022. The aftermath led to a crisis within the party, and in 2024, he announced his resolve to join the APC. In this interview with TOBA ADEDEJI, he speaks on sundry issues. Excerpts. 

Why are you providing a platform for the residents of Osun State to seek good governance?

You and I know that it’s good governance that drives the economy and every other thing that makes life bearable for the people. Any government, especially, with the right leadership in place, is expected to provide good governance. That is what leaders at all levels are voted to provide. This is the simple reason I have been, and I will continue to be an advocate of good governance, not only in Osun State but Nigeria as a whole. More importantly, that’s the more reason I have always provided engaging platforms capable of enhancing good governance.

Don’t you see your actions as playing an opposition role against the government?

So providing platforms to enhance good governance means playing the role of an opposition? Don’t forget that I’m a bonafide son of Osun State and one of the major stakeholders in the politics of the state. For crying out loud, I don’t think there’s any law that forbids me from contributing my quota towards making life better for our people. Mind you, I do all you see, as a private individual. This is because I have never held any political office in my life. For almost 20 years now, I have been investing my resources in politics without holding any political office and I have never taken a contract from any government. So instead of being viewed from the perspective of an opposition, I think I should be commended for always offering helping hands. Moreso, no government can ever do it all alone.

In 2022, you contested the governorship ticket of PDP with Governor Adeleke, but eventually, he emerged. The issue then snowballed into a major crisis within the Osun PDP whereby the party was factionalised leading to several court cases: have you settled the differences with Governor Adeleke and his group?

As for me, I am always for peace and at the same time, service driven. I have never been inordinately ambitious and I will never be. I was ready to forgo my ambition before, during and even after the election but on the condition that some percentage of slots be conceded to my group for the benefit of those with me. This they repudiated. While the struggle lasted and even after, from my group, we extended hands of fellowship to them (the Adeleke group) which they rebuffed! To them, it’s winner-takes-all all. And as you know, nobody ever claps with one hand; we all worked for the emergence of the party in the state. So up till now, the situation still remains dreary in the sack.

There are rumours that members of the Board of Trustees of PDP are backing you against Governor Adeleke: How true is this?

The truth is, all well-meaning indigenes of our dear state and major stakeholders are backing us because they have seen what we are capable of doing to make Osun more livable; they have studied us and have discovered that we can take the state out of its current woods. Don’t forget that this is our state and we are stakeholders. So we shall always seek its good.

With your call for Atunto Osun (repositioning Osun State), don’t you see it as an avenue for residents of Osun to revolt against the PDP government?

Again, how can empowerment set the people against the government? When has that become an offence? Can any government do it all? Recently, you will recall that the elder sister of the governor, Sister Dupe, did her empowerment. With it, did she in any way, cause the people to revolt against the administration of her brother? Many lawmakers at the federal and state levels have been carrying out different empowerment programmes without hues and cries.

Let me shock you again: Can you believe that the Adeleke administration through the Ministry of Cooperatives and Empowerments is already planning empowerment programmes? So why is it that it’s only when we do stuff they always have headaches and colds?

For your information, ‘Atunto Osun’ is meant to cushion the effects of the biting cost of goods and services through cooperative societies we have put in place for our people at the grassroots. It’s for all residents of the state without any consideration for political parties and religions. Atunto Osun ( repositioning Osun), is for the betterment of the state and its people.

Do you think Adeleke’s group has weakened your political strength?

Never! I can assure you that we remain unfazed. They have done all they could do to weaken our base, but we remain unshaken. In fact, we have been waxing stronger than ever before.

You know that I am a man of the people and you can see that the ‘Atunto Osun’ rally was a testament to that considering the mammoth crowd of over 20,000 people in attendance across the state.

Plans have been concluded for you to leave PDP to APC, do you think Adeleke’s camp is jittery?

Yes!  As of today, the camp of Adeleke is in disarray. They are begging and moving about with money for us not to cross over to APC but it’s already a late call. When they had the opportunity, they were abusing us all over the place. They also started remembering leaders of the party hitherto denigrated to achieve this purpose with a joint call to reactivate the jettisoned Elders Forum. For us, our involvement in the APC will bear fruits as the party will have clean sweeps at the coming polls in 2026.

The former National Vice Chairman of PDP, South West, Soji Adagunodo was in your camp, do you think Adeleke’s camp will honour him in death?

They fought him to death. The deceased was fiercely fought by the Adelekes and their supporters till he died last year. They refused to participate in any of his burial rites. Due to the impending mass defection of chieftains and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) across Osun State to All Progressive Congress (APC), the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke is surreptitiously planning to mark a fake one-year remembrance of Soji Adagunodo.

Are you now saying they are playing politics with the remembrance of Adagunodo?

Yes!  Adeleke and the state party executive are playing politics with the repose of the deceased former National Vice Chairman of PDP, South West, Soji Adagunodo.  Unfortunately, some of those who pretended to support him became renegades and turncoats for a mess of pottage even before he became cold in his grave and are now hell-bent on destroying all he stood for by acting as agent provocateurs.

They wondered why the people who derided and denigrated Adagunodo even at death could turn around to claim they were remembering him on the first anniversary of his demise. This contradicts logic and it’s a joke that must stop forthwith.

Adeleke and his people, as well as the party, did everything to frustrate the late Adagunodo. When he died, they laughed at him to scorn and even danced ‘skelewu’ on his grave. Now, because of the impending mass defection of thousands of Adagunodo and my supporters, they (Adeleke and the PDP), want to be clever by half by pretending now to be sympathetic to the course of late Adagunodo whom they fought till death; they are even planning a fake one-year remembrance.

They are begging and moving about with money for us not to cross over to APC but it’s already a late call. When they had the opportunity, they were abusing us all over the place. They also started remembering leaders of the party hitherto denigrated to achieve this purpose with a joint call to reactivate the jettisoned Elders Forum. For us, our involvement in the APC will bear fruits as the party will have clean sweeps at the coming polls in 2026.

Do you think PDP has learnt its lessons from the failure of the 2023 election with the current wrangling within the party?

What’s affecting the PDP in Osun is equally affecting the party nationally. Failure is an orphan and that’s why the animosity at the national level appears deep-seated. Truly, this is disheartening.