The governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in the 2019 elections in Ogun State, Adekunle Akinlade, has joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of next year’s elections.

Akinlade, who was former governor Ibikunle Amosun’s anointed candidate in 2019, resigned his membership in the All Progressives Congress last week.

The former House Representatives member, who also contested the APC’s governorship primary held in May but lost to Governor Dapo Abiodun, had expressed the lack of confidence in the committee led by Wale Ohu.

Akinlade had a closed-door meeting with the state executive members of the party as well as the PDP governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu.

Shortly after the meeting, which lasted for about two hours, the state Chairman, Sikirullahi Ogundele, presented the PDP membership card to Akinlade.

Akinlade said he agreed to run with Adebutu as the deputy governorship candidate for the next election.

He said, “This decision was not an easy one to take. It might not be the most popular decision to take, but I believe it is absolutely necessary. The maladministration in Ogun State requires that every sensible indigene of this state must be ready to make a sacrifice and must be ready to do whatever takes to change the course and the trajectory of government come 2023.

“In 2019, I ran for the governorship of this state under the APM and my brother and this great party, the PDP, stood by me and it reflected clearly in the result of that election. We will do everything we can to make sure that this party becomes victorious come 2023. We will work morning and afternoon, we will work at night. We will work round the clock. We have done it before in under 90 days; now we have seven months to do this.”