Ladoja and I have no plans to join APC – Alli

A former governor of Oyo State, Rashidi Ladoja, and the candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in the last governorship election in the state, Sharafadeen Alli, have dismissed speculations in the state that they would be moving into the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr Ladoja, a ZLP leader, was the state governor between 2003 and 2007 while Mr Alli was the secretary to the state government under Mr Ladoja’s administration. Both men were then members of the Peoples Democratic Party.

There were rumours that the two, who were prominent in the alliance that helped Governor Seyi Makinde win the last election on the platform of the PDP, wanted to leave the ZLP for the APC.

But the two chieftains of ZLP on Sunday denied the rumour.

Mr Ladoja rallied Mr Alli of ZLP and Olufemi Lanlehin of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to step down for Mr Makinde so as to present a common front against the APC’s Adebayo Adelabu.

While Mr Alli turned down his appointment by Mr Makinde as a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council, Mr Lanlehin also pulled out of the coalition, alleging the governor was lopsided in his appointments and was not fulfilling his agreement with the coalition partners.

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Mr Alli in a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES said, “That Senator Ladoja and I, are leaving ZLP for APC was concocted to distort facts and heat up the polity.”

He said they had never contemplated dumping the ZLP but were working hard to promote the party in the state.

“Following some statements going viral on social media, that plans have been concluded that we are moving to the APC, I want to state categorically that it is not true.

“We have never contemplated dumping our party, ZLP for any party. Our leader, Senator Ladoja and (I) are dissociating ourselves from the said story.

“I want to state that the rumour was concocted by the people who believed we have to either move to where they belong or where they want us to belong.

“The general public and our teeming supporters should ignore the rumour and focus on the future of our great and forward-looking party.”