A former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has reportedly dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to a reliable source, the former minister, who was arrested by the APC government in 2016 for illegally receiving N4.7bn through the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2014, returned to his former progressive camp which he dumped in 2008.
Senator Obanikoro was one of the governorship aspirants of the PDP in Lagos State in the 2015 poll. He was the party’s governorship flagbearer in 2011.
Meanwhile, a newspaper has reported that Koro, as the Lagos politician is fondly called by his loyalists, met with the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bila Ahmed Tinubu, who we gathered initially showed reluctance to Obanikoro’s return to his political camp which he deserted over a decade ago to join the then ruling PDP. But the national leader reportedly soft pedalled on his stance after the former Minister reached out to some prominent Lagosians to intercede on his behalf before Tinubu.
It was gathered that Tinubu eventually agreed to meet with his erstwhile godson after much pleading.
“When he met Asiwaju, he apologized profusely for his past misdeeds and political miscalculations. You know Asiwaju has a large heart. It appears he forgave him and gave a positive nod to his quest to join the APC. Following that, Obanikoro met and discussed with several other party leaders,” reports the newspaper.
-Folorunsho Hamsat
