No fewer than 5,000 members and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State have defected to the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The defectors, drawn largely from the Ogun West Senatorial District, were formally received into the APC at a ceremony held on Sunday at Ilaro, headquarters of Yewa South Local Government Area.
Among those who joined the APC were former Ogun PDP chairman Sikirullahi Ogundele, former state publicity secretary Akinloye Bankole, former Yewa North Local Government chairman Titus Eweje, former PDP Woman Leader Kemi Adeyemi and other party leaders.
The defectors were received by Governor Dapo Abiodun, the APC governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, and the state APC chairman, Yemi Sanusi.
Ogundele said he decided to leave the PDP after seven years in the party, describing his decision as an attempt to move away from what he called “political slavery.”
He also argued that the movement of some prominent politicians away from the PDP reflected what he described as a crisis within the opposition party.
Addressing the controversy over Adeola’s Ogun roots, Ogundele said similar questions had been raised against past governorship candidates in the state, including Olusegun Osoba, Gbenga Daniel and Ibikunle Amosun.
Sanusi presented the APC’s broom symbol to the new members and assured them that their leadership experience would be recognised within the party. He urged them to mobilise voters at the ward level ahead of the 2027 elections.
Governor Abiodun welcomed the defectors, assuring them that they would be accommodated and integrated into the APC.
The development comes as political parties in Ogun State intensify mobilisation and membership realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.