A former governor of Oyo State and ex-chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator Rashidi Ladoja, yesterday said he left the ADC for members of the Unity Forum who were dictating virtually everything in the party.
He also denied leaving his anointed governorship candidate, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, in the cold.
The former governor said Lanlehin refused to follow him to his new party, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Ladoja addressed reporters yesterday at his Ondo Street, Bodija, Ibadan home.
The former governor said members of the Unity Forum, who broke away from the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) in May, were behaving as if they had won next year’s elections.
According to him, they imposed their members as candidates of the party, having no regard for him and other party leaders, particularly Chief Michael Koleoso.
He said some of their impositions would not promote inclusion which is necessary for any political party to win elections.
Ladoja alleged that the national leadership of ADC did not give room for inclusiveness in decisions to be made by the party in Oyo State.
While confirming his defection to ZLP, the former governor unveiled Chief Sharafadeen Alli as the party’s governorship candidate.
He expressed confidence that all his followers would defect with him.
When reminded that some of them had declared that they would stay back in ADC, Ladoja said it was because he was yet to publicly announce his defection to his new party.
The former governor said he enjoys loyalty of his followers but also pointed out that people are free to make their choices.
He added: “My apprehension was that the way we were going, we might not be able to win the election because some areas in Ibarapa, Oke-Ogun and Ibadan were not catered for at all. And our friends (Unity Forum members) were dodging discussions on their decisions.”
The former governor accused the forum members of taking unilateral decisions and then came back to appeal to him to overlook their impositions.
He said the last straw was the imposition of the deputy governorship candidate, Mr Saheed Alaran, who hails from Iseyin, the same town that produced the House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates.
As for Lanlehin, the former governor said he explained the need to leave for another party to him but that he rejected the idea.
He said Alli sought his approval to join ZLP to contest as governor and that he approved his decision.
Ladoja emphasised that the most important thing is that Governor Abiola Ajimobi must not be allowed to install his successor.
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