The Senior Special Adviser on Media to the Osun State Governor, Hezekiah Bamiji, has criticised the recent defection of Senators Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East) and Olubiyi Fadeyi (Osun Central) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the move as a strategic misstep.
Speaking on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme aired Thursday, Bamiji said the senators acted on unfounded rumours that Governor Ademola Adeleke intended to defect to the APC, and in doing so, fell into what he called “a trap” laid by the ruling party at the federal level.
“Maybe what I can say is a kind of miscalculation on the part of the lawmakers,” Bamiji stated.
“The rumour perhaps overwhelmed them, thinking that the governor was coming. They felt they were Abuja politicians and should be faster than the governor.”
He stressed that Governor Adeleke, as the PDP leader in Osun State, had given no indication of leaving the party and maintained that good governance in the state does not require a shift in party allegiance.
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“Even if the governor was going to move, did they ask the governor any questions?” Bamiji asked. “Yes, the APC set a trap for them, and they entered.”
He also questioned whether the senators had consulted their constituents before making the switch, suggesting a lack of due process in the decision.
Their defection, announced on Wednesday, was part of a wave that saw four PDP senators cross over to the APC, increasing the ruling party’s Senate majority to 70 members, while reducing the PDP’s presence in the chamber to 28.
The development is seen as a further consolidation of power for the APC in the 10th National Assembly, which began in June 2023.
