Oyo 2027: PDP, Accord, APM Members Defect to APC With 3,000 Supporters
IBADAN — The political landscape in Oyo State has witnessed a fresh wave of defections ahead of the 2027 general elections, with a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, an Accord Party aspirant and more than 3,000 supporters joining the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defectors came from the PDP, Accord and Allied Peoples Movement (APM), with separate events held in Ibadan to formally welcome them into the APC.
Among those who defected was Hammed Taoreed Ademola, popularly known as Lucky, the PDP candidate for Ibadan North-East II State Constituency.
Ademola led about 1,000 supporters into the APC, saying his decision to abandon the PDP ticket followed his assessment of the political situation in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said he had conducted what he described as due diligence before deciding to join the APC.
“We are here in our hundreds to formally join the APC, and we promise to do our best in the interest of the progressive party and our dear country, Nigeria,” Ademola said.
Also joining the APC was Adedapo Ojo, an Accord aspirant for Ibadan North-East II, who crossed over with hundreds of his supporters.
Ojo said he had initially considered Accord as an alternative political platform but later decided to join the APC after assessing the political situation in the state.
He described his former platform as a distraction and said he did not want to continue spending time and resources on what he considered an unproductive political effort.
APM members also move to APC
The wave of defections extended to the Allied Peoples Movement in Oluyole Local Government Area, where more than 1,000 APM members joined the APC.
The group was led by Mustapha Kazeem, popularly known as Oba Oluyole, who was described as a loyalist of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
Speaking for the defectors, Kazeem criticised Makinde’s handling of political relationships and said the group had decided to seek a new platform in the APC.
The defectors were formally received at the APC secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, by the party’s Oyo State Chairman, Moses Alake Adeyemo, alongside other members of the state executive committee.
APC welcomes new members
Adeyemo assured the new members that they would be given equal opportunities within the party.
He urged them to put their previous political affiliations behind them and begin mobilisation for APC candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party’s Oyo State governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, also welcomed the defectors and outlined some of his proposed programmes for the state.
Alli promised to run what he described as an inclusive administration if elected governor in 2027.
He pledged regular payment of salaries and allowances to workers and pensioners, as well as measures to improve the working environment for civil servants and teachers.
The APC candidate also promised to establish information and communications technology hubs across major parts of the state and said each of Oyo’s 33 local government areas would have a general hospital that would be properly staffed and equipped.
The latest defections come as political parties in Oyo State intensify their preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The movement of political figures and supporters from the PDP, Accord and APM into the APC adds another layer to the emerging political contest in the state ahead of the polls.
