Umaru Yar`adua`s Minister Demola Seriki Abandons PDP
Former Minister of State for Defence, Demola Seriki, was among other chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who Sunday defected to the Action Congress of Nigeria.The defection came only few days to the commencement of the general elections in the country. Others who led former PDP members in Lagos state into the ACN at the ACN rally held in the Eti-Osa area of the state include Alhaji Lanre Rasaq, Tunde Salau, and Wale Ahmed.
Speaking on behalf of the decampees, the former Minister said there was no way the PDP in Lagos state could survive with Chief Olabode George in the saddle.
They said with George, the party is best described as dead in the state, as according to them, he is the one behind the many problems facing the party in the state.
Seriki, a governorship candidate of the PDP in Lagos in the last election, described the PDP as filled with a bunch of criminals, lacking in good political ideologies.
Welcomed into the party by Bola Tinubu, Seriki said: 'We have been in Lagos politics for awhile. There are lots of difference between Governor Babatunde Fashola and the so called Dosunmu. We, the true indigenes of Lagos state, we know ourselves. Don't let us throw away our votes.
'We have worked with the Federal government and now is the time to save Lagos State.
'I come from Bode's ward, he can't win his ward. PDP is dead and after the elections we will do the burial ceremony of PDP. "The reason why we are defecting is that PDP is a non people friendly party. They have planned to destabilise Lagos state but we will tell them that Lagos belongs to all of us. The best of Fashola is yet to come.'
For Wale Ahmed, a former Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the state, he said he had been itching to be with Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola as he could no longer find comfort with the PDP.
"I thank God that from today, I will no longer have to be defending the indefensible, I thank God almighty that from today I will no longer be justifying the unjustifiable and from today I will be in a position to celebrate good and responsible leadership," he said.
Rasaq on his part described the ACN as a party of good people whose trade is to perform wonders in Lagos state and other states where they have their representatives.
According to him, 'We don't want criminals, we will not accept criminals, and will not follow criminals and criminals shall not be in charge of the state in Lagos.'
Tinubu, who tasked them to ensure that they assist the ACN in the forthcoming elections accused the PDP of igniting violence in the state with the attack on one of the campaign offices belonging to the ACN on Saturday.