Ex-Ondo lawmaker Akinribido dumps PDP for APC; deactivates social media handle

Tomide Akinribido, a former lawmaker in the Ondo State House of Assembly, has dumped the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. 

Mr Akinribido, who represented Ondo West Constituency I in the 9th House of Assembly, also deleted his social media handle on X, shortly after he dumped the opposition party. 

Hr communicated his resignation in a letter forwarded to the party’s chairman in Ward 7, Ondo East LGA of the state. 

“I write to inform you of my decision to resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) effective from today, February 9th, 2024, By notice of this letter, my membership of the PDP terminates immediately,” a copy of the letter obtained by Peoples Gazette read. 

Speaking, Mr Akinribido said he was humbled to pitch his tent with the ruling APC in the state, saying he had been under intense pressure to join the incumbent Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa in the formation of his government. 

He, however, noted that he deleted his account to avoid distraction on social media. 

“The tribal and religious bigotry on social media has become too toxic recently and I want to concentrate on delivering Ondo to APC,” he told The Gazette. 

The former lawmaker is also a ‘political godson’ to former governor Olusegun Mimiko, who governed Ondo state for a two-term of eight years.

Mr Akinribido first joined the PDP in 2014 but left in 2018 with his political godfather, Mr Mimiko, to contest the seat of the House of Assembly under the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) during the 2019 election. 

He later returned to the PDP in 2021.