IBADAN -Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has lamented the gale of defection of top notch politicians from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to other parties, especially the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governor stated this while receiving the report of a seven-man reconciliation committee, led by a former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, which was instituted to reconcile all aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West Zone.

He said the report of the committee came at the right time, stating that the PDP needs to get all the tendencies together, not just in the South-West but across the country.

The governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Taiwo Adisa appreciated the committee for the job and for their selflessness, noting that the report would be implemented in the overall interest of the PDP in the South-West zone and nationally.

He said: “I want to thank the Reconciliation Committee for presenting the report. This is a confirmation that when elders are somewhere, they do not do their job halfway but complete it. Actually, we have quite a bit to learn from our elders and from how you have done things in the past.

“Yes, the Congress has basically come and gone but our party is still in need of getting all the tendencies together, not just in the South-West but even nationally right now. We have had a gale of defections.

“Between when this committee was set up and now, I believe two governors from the party’s platform have defected to the APC. A number of our lawmakers at the national level; senators, members of the House of Representatives are defecting.

“So, this report is coming at the right time for us to go ahead, look at it and still try to pull our people together irrespective of the outcome of the zonal congress.

“The country, as a whole, is in dire need of men and women of conscience, who are thinking progressively about this country. That is why, a few days ago, the governors from the southern part of the country came together and, without thinking of party affiliations, we took far-reaching decisions in the interest of this country; in the interest of fairness, equity and justice for everybody in the country.’’