Chairman, Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Bayo Dayo, has said that former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Dimeji Bankole, is free to join any political party of his choice to actualise his governorship ambition.

He said this on Tuesday during the inauguration of a 35-man campaign committee of the party, to be led by a former governorship aspirant, Chief Yomi Majekodunmi, held at the party secretariat, Abeokuta, Ogun State. Dayo insisted that Bankole lacks electoral value.

The Ogun PDP Chairman wondered how the former Speaker, who represented Abeokuta South federal constituency from 2007 to 2011, failed in his re-election bid. He described Bankole as a “paper weight politician” who could not win a single local government in the last elections.

It is being speculated that Bankole and his loyalists may dump PDP for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), based on the controversy surrounding the outcome of the last PDP primaries, which was not in his favour.

Dayo said: “I have said it earlier, everybody has the right to be associated with any group that he wishes. Somebody who contested for the position of House of Representatives in one local government when he was in office as the Speaker of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and lost, let him now contest in 20 local governments and let us see the outcome.

“I challenge them to the fact that, come February 14, you will all see the result of whatever arrangement that is going on. We cannot force everybody to stay in PDP. Our prayer is that the more people that are going out, more people that are more than them should be coming to the party.”

The party chairman appealed to aggrieved aspirants to put behind them, all issues that arose after the primaries and work together in ensuring that the party wins in the elections.

•Adapted from Nigerian Tribune. Photo shows Dimeji Bankole.