Former Ondo Deputy Gov Dumps PDP, Set To Join APC

According to Ireporter Online, Otunba Omolade Oluwateru, a former Deputy Governor of Ondo State and Nigeria’s ex-Ambassador to Uganda, has formally resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ending decades of association with the party.

Oluwateru, who served as deputy to the late Governor Olusegun Agagu between 2003 and 2009, attributed his decision to the prolonged internal crisis rocking the PDP. He disclosed his exit from the party during activities marking his 79th birthday celebration in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

A founding member of the PDP since 1998, the former deputy governor expressed strong dissatisfaction with the party’s current condition, lamenting that internal conflicts had weakened its structure. He particularly blamed the actions of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, which he said had worsened the party’s instability and left it deeply fractured.

Explaining his decision, Oluwateru stated that the level of crisis within the party had made it impossible for him to remain, adding that he had already submitted his resignation letter to the chairman of his ward.

While he has yet to officially announce his next political destination, the Ondo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Engr. Ade Adetimehin, has openly expressed willingness to receive him into the party. Adetimehin described Oluwateru as a committed progressive, noting his loyalty to the ideals of his former principal, the late Governor Agagu, and his years of service to public life.

Oluwateru, however, said consultations were still ongoing, hinting that he may align with the APC after engaging with his supporters and stakeholders. He noted that the large turnout at his birthday event reflected strong APC presence, alongside PDP members and non-partisan supporters, and promised to announce his final decision within two weeks.

Adetimehin expressed confidence that Oluwateru would eventually join the APC, stressing that his experience and credibility would add value to Ondo State politics and further strengthen the party’s support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reform agenda.

Similarly, the Director General of the Asiwaju Mandate Group (AMG), Asiwaju Muyiwa Asagunla, commended Oluwateru’s integrity and humility, stating that his defection would be a boost to the APC and President Tinubu’s reelection prospects. Asagunla added that the former deputy governor had long anticipated the decline of the PDP, a development that influenced his decision to leave the party.