The political landscape in Oyo State witnessed a fresh wave of defections on Friday as more than 3,000 supporters and political actors from the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Accord joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The development involved more than 1,000 APM members from Oluyole Local Government Area, led by Hon. Mustapha Kazeem, popularly known as “Oba Oluyole”, as well as the PDP candidate for Ibadan North-East State Constituency 2, Hon. Hammed Taoreed Ademola, popularly known as Lucky, and Accord aspirant in the same constituency, Hon. Adedapo Ojo.
The former APM members were formally received into the APC at the party’s state secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, by the State Chairman, Otunba Moses Alake-Adeyemo, alongside other members of the State Executive Committee.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Kazeem criticised Governor Seyi Makinde, alleging that the governor had failed to sufficiently appreciate loyalty, good human relations and sacrifices made by some of his political supporters.
According to him, the group’s experience had made it difficult for them to continue with the political arrangement.
“It came to a point that we could not pretend again and this made us to see the light in the progressive fold,” he said.
Kazeem also alleged that some persons empowered by the governor had victimised members of his group in Oluyole Local Government Area for several years.
He said the group had therefore decided to abandon what he described as “deceit and propaganda”, declaring that “enough is enough”.
Presenting the defectors to the APC state chairman, the Oluyole Local Government APC Chairman, Prince Dotun Oladipupo, described the development as a boost to the party’s structure in the area.
Adeyemo formally welcomed the new members into the APC and presented brooms to them as a symbol of their admission into the party. He urged them to put their past political differences behind them and work for the success of the party.
Those present included the APC State Secretary, Hon. Fatai Adesina; State Financial Secretary, Hon. Tunde Elegbede; Dr. Felicia Opatunde; Olawale Sadare; Comrade Olalekan Oladejo; Alhaji Lateef Akinsanya; the APC candidate for Oluyole Federal Constituency, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe; and the party’s candidate for Oluyole State Constituency, Hon. Hakeem Lawal, among others.
Also on Friday, the PDP candidate for Ibadan North-East State Constituency 2, Hammed Taoreed Ademola, and Accord aspirant, Adedapo Ojo, formally joined the APC alongside hundreds of their supporters at a private facility along Old Ife Road, Ibadan.
Ademola, popularly known as Lucky, said his decision to abandon the PDP ticket followed what he described as his assessment of the political realities ahead of the 2027 elections.
“I did my due diligence and I came to realize any ticket outside the APC is a mere tissue paper which cannot take a candidate anywhere in 2027,” he said.
He added that he and his supporters had decided to formally join the APC and pledged to contribute to the progress of the party.
Ojo, who described his former party, Accord, as a distraction, said he had initially hoped that the party could provide a credible alternative in Oyo State but later concluded that joining the APC was the preferred political platform for his group.
“We thought about making Accord a credible alternative in the state but we later realized that the APC was ahead of other parties by far. We wasted our time, energy and resources on an unproductive exercise. We later realized it wasn’t worth it. So we decided to pitch our tent with the progressive party and here we are today,” he said.
Receiving the new members, Adeyemo assured them of equal opportunities within the APC and urged them to work for the success of the party and its candidates in the 2027 general elections.
The APC governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, who was also at the event, said the defections were an indication of growing political activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
Alli pledged that, if elected, his administration would be inclusive and fair to members of the different zones of the state.
He said workers and pensioners would receive their salaries, allowances and pensions regularly, while the work environment would be improved through training and retraining.
He also promised that an ICT hub would be established in Ibadan within the first six months of his administration and subsequently replicated in Oke-Ogun, Ogbomoso, Oyo and Ibarapa before January 2029.
According to him, his administration would ensure equitable distribution of infrastructure and basic amenities across the state, while each of the 33 local government areas would have a well-staffed and equipped general hospital to provide basic healthcare services.
The event was also attended by the APC deputy governorship candidate, Hon. Adesoji Adedeji; Oyo South Senatorial candidate, Hon. Aderemi Oseni, and other party members.
The separate defections add to the political realignments taking place across Oyo State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
