Rally By Defecting Lawmakers Failed Due To Public Rejection — Osun PDP

 

The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has described the recent rally organised to receive defecting lawmakers into the All Progressives Congress as a failure, alleging that the turnout showed that the politicians had lost the trust of the people they were elected to represent.

In a statement issued on Saturday by the state chairman of the party, Hon. Sunday Bisi, the PDP said the event fell short of expectations and reflected what it called “a desperate gathering built on noise rather than genuine grassroots conviction.”

The party argued that the defecting National Assembly members were originally elected on the PDP platform and could not expect public support after what it termed a betrayal of voters’ mandate.

According to the statement, Osun voters supported the party’s programme and leadership under Governor Ademola Adeleke, adding that the alleged poor turnout at the rally showed that the people were not impressed by the defections.

“You cannot betray the mandate of the people and expect them to clap for you,” the statement read, noting that voters stood in difficult conditions to elect the lawmakers under the PDP banner.

The party further claimed that if the defectors truly commanded grassroots loyalty, the rally turnout would have reflected it, describing the event instead as an unsuccessful attempt to manufacture political momentum.

The PDP also pointed to the absence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the event, noting that he was in Kebbi State at the time. It argued that such an absence suggested the rally did not carry the political weight its organisers projected.

It added that other top APC figures were not present, which it interpreted as a sign of internal division within the Osun chapter of the party.

The opposition party maintained that while defection is allowed in a democracy, it rejected what it described as efforts to exaggerate the political value of those who switched parties. It insisted that the core support base in the state remains with the PDP and that its members are not discouraged by the development.

The statement concluded that political leadership is built on trust and long-term credibility, not crowd estimates at political receptions, stressing that the party remains focused on its structures and supporters across the state.