This is coming after A member of the state House of Assembly representing the Ojomu/Balogun Constituency in the Offa Local Government Area, Saheed Popoola, who is a leading member of the Lai Mohammed faction, announced his defection to the Social Democratic Party on the floor of the Assembly last week.

Announcing the defection on behalf of the group at the party secretariat in Ilorin the Kwara South factional Senatorial ChairmanMr Rasaki Alabi the faction decided to leave the APC because of the inhuman treatment meted out to them by the national leadership party.

According to him “Since the last time we addressed you, unfolding events within the party have continued to give us great concern that necessitated the need for us to come out again to restate our position. Without a doubt, you are all witnesses to the inhuman treatment we have.

“Curiously after our official complaints to the National Appeal Committee on Registration headed by Mallam Adamu Farouq on the manner the exercise was conducted in the state, we were assured that there would be no party congresses in Kwara until another registration exercise was conducted.

“But regrettably this was not to be. With all the promises and assurances given, nothing concrete ever happened in view of the fact that justice itself demands that complainant in a dispute should not be deprived of the fruits of his/her complaints,” he said.

Alabi said that, it will be correct to suggest that the Kwara state governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq working in tandem with the former national caretaker committee chairman, Mallam Mai Mala Buni decided to edge them out of the party against their wish.

“And to matters worse, Senator Abdullai Adamu who once headed the party’s National Reconciliation Committee that denied us fair hearing but rather turned himself to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq ‘solicitor and advocate is now the party’s national chairman.

“How then can we be hopeful of getting justice in this. circumstance? We do not think we have a future in this party any longer and it would be safer for us to look elsewhere where our democratic views and opinions would be respected,” he queried.

Alabi said since the national leadership of the party does not believe that they are politically relevant in the state despite their contributions to the victory of the party in 2019, they have no option than pitch their tent with another party that is in line with its vision.

According to him “If the national leadership of the party does not believe that we are politically relevant in the state, we need to make them understand also that the man they queued behind is also a blown-out fuse and not capable of leading the party to any victory in the state come 2023.

“Seated here with us at this press briefing, are all the 193 Ward chairmen, 16 Local Government chairmen and all the State Working Committee members who have jointly decided with our numerous supporters, to announce to you today our official defection and mass movement of our supporters and party members from the APC to the Social Democratic Party,” he said.

Responding on behalf of the party The National Publicity Secretary of the party Rufus Ayenigba, while welcoming the group says the SDP is the only pan-national party in the country with a vision to restore the dignity of the country in governance.

He assured the group that the party is built on fairness, justice and will provide a level playing ground for party members who are aspiring for one position or the other.