Chidinma Iroegbu
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State has urged former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members who recently joined the party to begin grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The call was made in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area, where former Ogun PDP Chairman, Dr Sikirulai Ogundele, and other opposition members were formally received into the APC and declared support for the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Adeola.
The APC said the defection involved more than 20,000 PDP members from Ogun West, although the figure was a claim by the ruling party. Several former PDP leaders and officials were among those reported to have joined the APC.
Ogundele said his decision to leave the PDP was driven by what he described as the party’s internal crisis, arguing that remaining in the opposition party would amount to “political suicide.”
He compared the PDP’s situation to a “burning house” and said the movement of governors and other prominent politicians away from the party reinforced his decision to join the APC.
The former PDP chairman also endorsed Adeola’s governorship ambition and dismissed questions over the APC candidate’s Ogun roots, describing such disputes as a recurring issue during governorship contests in the state.
Another former PDP member, Lisa Adejobi, said the defectors wanted to be part of what he described as a historic political movement, adding that their supporters possessed Permanent Voter Cards.
APC Ogun West Senatorial Chairman, Alhaji Azeez Ekeweme, said the new members had been integrated into the party and urged them to take their mobilisation efforts to the grassroots ahead of the 2027 elections.
Minister of State for Health, Dr Kunle Salako, said the defections had weakened the PDP’s structure in Ogun West, listing former party leaders and officials including Titus Eweje, Kemi Adeyemi, Ganiu Dada and others among those who had moved to the APC.
Ogun APC Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, welcomed the defectors and called on other politicians to join the party, assuring them of inclusion, while saying, “There is still space in the APC. Come and join us; we won’t let you down.”