2027 Election: PDP, ADC and SDP Chieftains in Ondo Defect to APC
- Prominent opposition figures from three parties in Ifedore LGA, Ondo State, formally joined the ruling APC at a reception event
- An APC leader alleged that some party members were working against APC candidates under the guise of a Rainbow Coalition
- Former Ondo APC Chairman Ade Adetimehin described the new arrivals as the last batch of PDP members in the ward
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Ondo State - Senior figures from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Igbara-Oke, Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State, have crossed to the All Progressives Congress (APC), signalling a shift in the political landscape of the area ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The defectors were formally received by a delegation that included Senator Niyi Adegbonmire, who represents the Ondo Central Senatorial District, and Hon. Festus Akingbaso, a member of the House of Representatives, together with other APC leaders in the state.
Source: Twitter
Bayo Adejuwon said the ruling party's record of development in the area was the driving force behind their decision to switch allegiances.
As reported by Vanguard, he stated this while speaking for the new entrants.
He added that the APC leadership was well aware of their political weight, and that their arrival would strengthen the party's performance come election time.
Adejuwon said the defectors were fully committed to working for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and the success of other APC candidates in Ondo State.
Another defector who identified himself as Faloyo, an indigene of Ijare, said he was satisfied with the move and pledged to mobilise votes from his community for Tinubu and other party candidates in the January 16 and February 6 elections.
APC hails defections as sign of growing dominance
Former Ondo State APC Chairman, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, told the gathering that the new entrants were the final group of PDP members remaining in the ward, calling their defection proof of the APC's expanding reach in Ifedore.
He urged them to return to their communities immediately and begin grassroots mobilisation before the elections.
Adetimehin expressed confidence that Tinubu, Adegbonmire and Akingbaso would all perform well at the polls, and described the APC as a party that welcomes everyone.
An APC leader in Ifedore, Tobi Ogunleye, stressed that the defection was entirely voluntary and that no inducement was used to bring the new members on board.
Ogunleye also raised concerns about certain APC members who he alleged were working against the party's candidates by operating under a group called the Rainbow Coalition, insisting that those present at the event represented the genuine APC.
He warned that anyone undermining the party's candidates was, in effect, working against Tinubu's transformation agenda.
He also credited Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo with weakening the ADC and SDP in the state.
He claimed the defection had wiped out what remained of organised opposition in Ifedore, describing the new members as individuals who had been central to the opposition's political structure before their change of allegiance.
Source: Original
2 PDP LG Chairmen Defect to APC
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that two PDP local government chairmen in Gombe State formally resigned from the opposition party and joined the ruling APC.
The defectors from Kwami and Nafada LGAs met separately with Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya before switching parties.
Senator Usman Bayero Nafada facilitated the meetings that led to the defections, according to a Government House statement.
Source: Legit.ng
