In what appears to be a heavy blow, about 5,000 members of the Lagos4Lagos Movement of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) rejoined the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday in Lagos State.

The decampees were received back into the fold by the Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat who expressed his delight and commended them for retracing their steps into the progressives’ family.

According to Hamzat: “The state is moving in the right direction. This is the right decision. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has an eye of talent and the ability to manage people. This is the time for us to vote for someone who knows the way. It is good you retraced yourselves back. I must tell you that you have made the right decision.

“It is people who make towns, cities and countries great. I am excited that you have seen the reason to support Asiwaju.”

The State Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi appreciated the defectors for finding it necessary to be part of the progressives’ family.

He remarked that the APC-led administration has placed a premium on the welfare of residents and improved infrastructure.

Speaking on behalf of the defecators, Idowu Daramola said they moved back to the APC because the lead visioner of the Lagos4Lagos Movement, Jide Adediran, disappointed them after they moved to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Daramola, who is the leader of the Diaspora for Adediran, said Adediran was not accountable to the Diaspora supporters and financiers after contributing towards the cause of the movement.

He added further that Jandor also failed to consult the Diaspora members before settling for star actress Funke Akindele as his running mate.

He explained that the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the APC presidential candidate changed the political equations, thus making the group return.

“We were supporting Jandor because we believed he had a vision, but we found out it was not what we thought. What changed our minds again was Asiwaju’s presidential ticket. We have to move when Asiwaju got the presidential ticket of APC to support him.

“This is a great opportunity for anyone that is a Lagos resident, and the Yoruba nation, to support Tinubu. We have told everybody that we needed to go back because we discovered we were going in the wrong direction,” he added.

The defectors went on to pull and shred their Lagos4Lagos branded T-shirts for APC-crested shirts to further formalize their defection.