Posted by Amarachi on Tue 16th Feb, 2021 - tori.ng
In a statement, Daniel apologised to his former party for the short notice, stating that his support for Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, was a pointer to join the ruling party.
Gbenga Daniel,Abubakar Atiku
Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the former governor of Ogun State has decamped from the People's Democratic Party, PDP to the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC.
Gbenga was a front row member of the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, having led the campaign team of defeated presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku.
Daniel is expected to pick up the membership card of APC before the registration of new members closes today.
In a statement, Daniel apologised to his former party for the short notice, stating that his support for Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, was a pointer.
He explained that the decision took a speedy curve with the request of the national caretaker Chairman of APC to visit him along with three governors.
“I thought I should quickly brief the house before the news goes viral,” he said.
The statement made available to Vanguard read that “Dear Friends & Colleagues, pardon my short notice in informing you of my route to the APC which as you might have suspected started with my supporting Governor Dapo Abiodun during the last election.
“I have since experienced an avalanche of encouragement to come on board.
“However in the last 48 hours things took a dizzying speed with the decision of the APC National Chairmans request to visit me at Asoludero on Wed with about 3 Governors. While planning for the visit Governor Abiodun also decided to visit me later today with another set of Governors later today. It therefore mean that I have finally been ‘captured’
“I thought I should quickly brief the house before the news go viral. Thanks for your understanding
OTUNBA GBENGA DANIELS.”
A source close to the former Ogun State governor said he will meet with the chairman of the caretaker committee of the APC and governor of Yobe State Mai Mala Buni on Wednesday.
Expected to be part of the meeting are governors Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State.
Gbenga Daniel’s defection announcement came barely 24 hours after former Social Democratic Party, SDP, governorship candidate in Osun State, Iyiola Omisore, perfected his defection to the APC.