The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, has dismissed claims that he defected from the opposition party to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Adebutu, who was accused of joining the PDP after the party had submitted its membership register to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, maintained that he had been a member of the party for at least 20 years.
He described the omission of his name from INEC’s final list of candidates as a temporary distraction, insisting that it would not hinder his political activities.
NEWSUNPLUG recalls that INEC had excluded Adebutu from the final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship election in Ogun State.
The list, signed by the commission’s Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, and published on its website, contained 13 candidates, with no representative of the PDP.
Adebutu’s exclusion came amid questions over his membership of the party, following reports that his name was missing from the PDP membership register submitted to INEC.
However, reacting to the controversy, the PDP chieftain reaffirmed his loyalty to the party, insisting that he had never defected to another political platform.
He spoke on Monday in Abeokuta while receiving defectors from the APC, stressing that he had contested elections under the PDP for more than 20 years without leaving the party.
Adebutu challenged anyone claiming that he had defected to provide evidence that he ever visited the office of another political party.
“At what stage did I leave the party? Where is the proof that for one day, I even visited APC office?” he asked.