Spontaneous actions were at play when the immediate past governor of Kwara State and senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial District, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, welcomed defectors from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ilorin South Local Government Area of the state to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). About 2,500 new PDP members converged on the Ilofa GRA residence of the Saraki family in Ilorin penultimate weekend to present themselves to the political leader in the state. The former opposition members, who lamented their sojourn in their former camp, said they had found a new haven.

Senator Saraki, who received the new members in company with Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and other PDP stalwarts, promised that they would be treated fairly and accorded all the privileges enjoyed by older members of the party. He also assured the defectors that they would be partakers in the prosperity that the PDP government in the state offered. The leader, who informed the defectors that the oppositions in the state were overwhelmed by the performance of the PDP government and had thus remained virtually non-existent except on the pages of newspapers, urged them to work assiduously in spreading the values and programmes of the PDP government across the state.

Earlier, the leader of the defectors and Secretary, Muhammad Dele Belgore Forum, Abdulazeez Kasim, and the Women Leader, Madam Titilayo Ojo, said they were disillusioned by the unfulfilled promises of the ACN and impressed by the purposefulness and developmental efforts of the PDP-led government in the state.  Kasim said the promise of the ACN gubernatorial candidate in the 2011 general election, Mr Dele Belgore (SAN) to provide 2000 jobs for ACN youths regardless of the outcome of the election had remained a mirage.

"We have been suffering too long in ACN. I can assure you that there is no ACN in Ilorin South again today. Every leader of ACN in Ilorin South has defected to PDP. Anybody that claims to be in ACN today must be a new comer. You will recall that Ilorin South was a strong opposition to PDP.

"We have had a serious rethink. We asked ourselves, why engage in deceit? Dele Belgore himself promised us that those of us who are graduates, at least 2000 would be offered gainful employment if even he did not win the last gubernatorial election. Alas, not a single soul was offered gainful employment, except he would give employment to birds. Those of us in MDB forum, those of us in the CWC met after the election and said we should not deceive ourselves.

"Bolakale Ajanaku came to us days before the election that we should work for him. We told him that we are stubborn and highly principled, that we would not defect but work against PDP. We moved around Ilorin South. At every polling booth, we went to PDP elders to ask then what we could give them to aid our electoral fortunes. As they told us what they needed, we strategised.  As PDP gave out machines, we gave out food. At the end of the day, we won 11 polling booths, while PDP had two. At the end of the election, Ajanaku reached out to us again and asked for a meeting at Keystone Hotels, but I told them if we would defect, it must be a public event. ‘Kale gave us 12 bags of rice and N50,000. We shared these among our men.

"Another group, AFAM, took us to Alhaji Maja of PDP who accepted us.  They said they knew what PDP faced in the last election and that they wanted us to defect. Alhaji Maja asked us if we came in quest of employment. We told him our mission. He gave us money and then handed us over to Adamson. The ACN people got wind of our liaising with the PDP and claimed they had expelled us for alleged anti-party activities but we told them we were no longer interested in ACN.

We know that the PDP is the right party. We afterwards held about six meetings with Adamson, who told us that we would not regret our decision. Adamson told us that his present position in life was due to the gesture of the PDP leader in the state, Senator Saraki.

"We embarked on house-to-house enlightenment. The ACN became antagonistic. Some of us couldn't sleep in our houses again. I slept in a medical doctors' house two times in the cause of the travails. We were taken to PDP office at Mandate premises, for further deliberations. There, we fully defected. Someone told us that nobody would believe our defection in the absence of the Leader, and that's why we are here today.

Today, we are optimistic that since we are meeting you, our travails are over. In politics, two things accrue to politicians: money and/or wealth. For us, we have gained popularity. The ACN deceived us.

"Dear Leader, we have suffered a great deal. There are those of us who are graduates but unemployed, yet Dele (Belgore) couldn't render any assistance. Before the last election, we had all collected forms (for possible employment). Even the widows in our midst, we couldn't take care of them. So, we delegated the leader of the widows to meet with the wife of the governor (Mrs Omolewa Ahmed) who gave her foodstuff, which we shared among ACN members.

"Leader, we need jobs, we need Hajj and Jerusalem slots. We also need office accommodation and bus since we've been driven away from ACN secretariat and the former bus taken from us. We have transformed our group MDB to Bukola Saraki Foundation. I want to assure you that we from Ilorin South will move on to Ilorin East and other areas to propagate the good news,” he said.

Also speaking, the ACN woman leader, Oke-Ogun ward, Mrs Titilayo Ojo, said, "When the secretary told me that we would go to PDP, I told him that we should think about it so that we would not take a wrong step. After series of meetings with PDP members, I concurred that we should defect since I am not under oath with either ACN or Belgore. Sir, our women are suffering. Some took bank loans but their ventures are not profitable. Please help us. I have assured them that PDP would pay us well.” The spokesperson of the defectors, Mr Oyebisi, who publicly tore the ACN membership cards, called the party's leadership absentee leaders, saying that "They only came around when election was approaching but ignored and abandoned us as soon as the election was over”.

Addressing the new PDP members, Senator Saraki said: "I congratulate you on your wise decision. Our party is not one where members do not benefit from joining politics. You saw how different associations were collecting millions of naira, N500,000, etc. But in your former party, there were no benefits, especially after elections. Ours is not like that you: can see the state governor here with us. It is not as if there is an election tomorrow or next but we continue to carry our people along. However, your leaders that you had will stay in London or Lagos, it is only on the eve of the elections that they say they want to sink boreholes and other things. They will not ask how you have been faring. They will not know that you have suffered in the last three years.

"By the time you set back to your local government areas, others will realise that your conditions have improved. Today, you have entered into a covenant that you will work for PDP. Ours is not a political party or government of deceit. Our utterances tally with our deeds by the grace of God.

"The governor has informed that job opportunities would be extended to your group. You should also fulfil your promise that your effort will not be limited to Ilorin South but other local governments too. You have seen as we always say that there is no other political party in Kwara State. Those in the opposition do not love the people of the state. They just want to use you for election purposes. Those who love their people will not come around only when elections are at hand. Here, we don't wait for election. People are reaping the benefits of politics. Tell others that here is where the action is!''