Senator Gbemisola Saraki, the eldest daughter of the late strongman of Kwara politics, Dr Olusola Saraki, has finally dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement she personally signed, copies of which were made available to journalists, in Ilorin, on Tuesday, Senator Gbemi Saraki, a PDP governorship aspirant, said she worked for APC in the last presidential election, having decided to leave PDP before the election.

Also, a son of a prominent opposition leader in Kwara State politics, Chief Segun Olawoyin, who was also the Youth Leader of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, has formally decamped to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking at a well attended event, in Offa town, on Tuesday, Chief Olawoyin said his decision to leave PDP was informed by the interest of his community, hoping to improve the lots of his people with his defection to APC.

Chief Olawoyin, who said the PDP lost the last presidential election due to insensitivity of leaders to people’s interest, inadequate knowledge of Kwara State politics and belief in money-politics, added that they acted like businessmen.

He said he would use his influence in the APC, being a long time follower of Saraki political dynasty, to attract development to Offa ancient town.

Senator Gbemi Saraki in her statement explained that “after wide consultations, we found in APC a platform that mirrors the ideals of our political family both in content and context, especially under the leadership of General Muhammadu Buhari.”

The two- term former Senator had on the eve of the presidential election directed her supporters to vote for the APC.

The former Senator’s statement reads in part: “I come before you for a formal declaration of our move to the All Progressives Congress (APC). This is not to underplay the reality that we have joined the APC a fortnight ago, just before the presidential and National Assembly elections, but I believe I owe you the obligation to formally announce this move to you as a deep respect for your love and your support of the GRS Movement over the year.

“This decision is a product of wide consultations with members of the GRS Political Family that cut across all the 16 Local Government Areas of the state on the one hand and the leadership of APC on the other.

It was in furtherance of this that on the eve of the presidential and National Assembly elections, I had asked all my supporters to troupe out en masse and vote for all the candidates of the APC.

“Let me seize this opportunity to thank our supporters for heeding the clarion call and congratulate them as well as all members of the APC for a historic victory.

“Several friends and associates have asked me why we moved and I have responded by telling them that the reasons are not far fetched; the reason is as important as who we are as political organisation. Our ideology finds roots in championing the cause of the grassroots; upholding equity and justice, and especially the vision for a meaningful and passionate leadership. We believe that a true leadership must be predicated on certain values that must be sacrosanct, which must also follow the sanctity of democratic ethos.

“When we joined Kwara PDP, it was for the main reason of enlarging these inalienable values and re-engineering the processes of leadership through the party in order to mirror the true aspirations of Kwarans. Considering the circumstance of the party at the state level, we knew we had to work harder and make sacrifices to deliver a party that would represent the yearning of our people. “However, the ensuing pattern of animosity within PDP was strongly placing our ideology on the cross hair of political attacks by elements within the party. Furthermore, the party was evidently hijacked from evolving into a political force that can accommodate the broad interests of the people but allowed to tarry to the selfish ambitions of some elements within its fold. “This rubbished the sanctity of democratic ethos of any true leadership and frustrated any semblance of cohesiveness of the party.

“Yet, we worked assiduously to instill decency and political maturity necessary to force an essential sense of direction. We failed. Instead, these elements within the party developed an obsession to waging verbal and psychological attacks on the GRS Political Family and our ideals. The focus was to frustrate our membership of the party, arguably, one of, if not, the largest within Kwara PDP.