... Agboola Ajayi's LG chair, 4 ward Chairmen, others among defectors
...We will work more than we have ever worked in our first term- Gov. Akeredolu
The former deputy state chairman of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in Ondo State, Engr. Abayomi Adebayo has harvested over 2500 members of the ZLP into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defectors were local government chairmen and members of the local government executive of the party across the eighteen local government areas of the state.
They were received into the APC by the state Chairman, Engr. Ade Adetimehin who handed them over to the leader of the party in the state, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN.
But the ZLP move appears to have more effect in Ese-Odo Ese-Odo Government as the local chairman of the ZLP in the local government, Prince Newton Olomu led a sizeable number of his exco to join the APC on Friday.
Aside Olomu, those who detected to the APC are:
State ex officio member, Rotimi Bowei;
Vice chair, ZLP Ese-Odo, Mr Festus Gbasinghan;
Local govt youth leader, Success Digha; ward chairman, Arogbo 3; secretary, Ukparama 2 Eliphus Ibakedein; Arogbo ward 1 chairman, Joseph Omomo; Arogbo ward 1 woman leader, Victoria Peretei; Arogbo ward 2 chairman, Ipiteigha Tam, among others.
Speaking, the former deputy chairman of the ZLP, Engr. Adebayo said the defectors decided to partner with Governor Akeredolu after taking a cursory look at the economy of the state and the gap created by the immediate past administration.
He lamented that the dream of the deep sea port initiated by the late Olusegun Agagu administration would have come to reality but for the Mimiko administration that abandoned it for eight years.
Adebayo maintained that Lagos state economic breakthrough was from the deep seaport which has sustained the economy of the state and improved its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) tremendously.
In his remark, the APC state chairman, Engr. Ade Adetimehin said over sixty percent of ZLP local government excos have been harvested into the APC.
He hinted that the local government ZLP leaders in Ondo East and Ondo West local government areas will collapse their structure and join the APC this weekend.
Responding, Governor Akeredolu assured that his administration will pursue the establishment of the deep sea port and actualize the dreams for the economic prosperity of the state.
"When I came and I started pursuing the establishment of the seaport, my colleague Governors were asking me what my predecessors were doing before. I didn't lie. I told them that Agagu initiated the dream. It is deep. Mimiko abandoned Agagu's project outrightly. Look at the University in Okitipupa, Agagu didn't put it in his home town. Look at the Univeristy, If Mimiko had attended to it, it would be one of best around by now. Why?
"The government house chapel, we met it at foundation level. I completed It and invited Mimiko to come and do the commissioning. I put his name on it. I did that because he was the one that laid the foundation. That's how government is supposed to work. Govt is a continuum.
"If Mimiko had continued from where Agagu stopped on the deep sea port, by now, we would have seen progress. The seaport is not something that we can do overnight. I am very sure that with that port, our people can never suffer again.
"We are poised to build a modern port. It is a port that will serve the west Africa. Our draught is the deepest in west Africa. It will usher in many abundant blessings . In the next four years, we will work more than we have worked now." Akeredolu assured.
