A wave of defections has struck the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, as numerous elected officials, appointees, and political associates of Governor Seyi Makinde have resigned from the party and joined the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
Freedomonline reports that a significant number of Makinde’s political allies and close associates have switched their allegiance to APM, with some citing internal issues within the PDP as their reason for departure.
Although Makinde has not made any official statement, the coordinated movement of his network to the APM suggests that his own defection may be imminent.
Key figures who have resigned from the PDP and joined APM include Mr. Shina Peller, the consensus candidate for the Oyo North Senatorial District in the 2027 elections. Peller, a former member of the House of Representatives for Iseyin/Iwajowa/Itesiwaju/Kajola Federal Constituency, officially announced his resignation from the PDP on Wednesday. He attributed his decision to the prolonged leadership vacuum and the “legal cul-de-sac” the party finds itself in.
Peller further emphasized that his move to APM represented his belief in a new era of responsive and progressive representation for the people of Oyo North.
Another lawmaker, Mr. Adedeji Olajide, who currently represents Ibadan North-West/South-West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, also resigned from the PDP, citing the party’s ongoing crisis. Olajide, who had been selected as the PDP consensus senatorial candidate for Oyo South in the upcoming 2027 elections, has reportedly shifted his allegiance to APM.
Similarly, Mr. Olufemi Ajadi, the consensus candidate for Oyo Central Senatorial District under Makinde’s PDP faction, tendered his resignation from the party on May 6. Ajadi stated that the unresolved national crisis within the PDP was a key factor in his decision to seek his senatorial ambition on another platform, noting that the ongoing internal strife within the party could pose legal challenges to his political aspirations in the future.
In addition to these high-profile resignations, a number of lawmakers from the PDP-dominated state House of Assembly have also defected in recent days. Notably, the Majority Leader, Hon. Onaolapo Sanjo Adedoyin (representing Ogbomoso South State Constituency), has joined the APM.
Speculation is rife that all of Makinde’s allies, particularly those jostling for federal, state, and local government seats, will have left the PDP and joined APM by Saturday.
Political analysts in the state attribute the ongoing mass defection of Makinde’s supporters to the APM to the governor’s strategy to meet the May 9 deadline for announcing his preferred successor as per the new electoral guidelines. The Electoral Act mandates that the governor must publicly declare his choice of successor by May 9 at the latest.
There has been speculation on social media suggesting that Governor Makinde has selected Mr. Bimbo Adekanmbi as his preferred governorship candidate for the 2027 election. Adekanmbi, a former commissioner for finance under Governor Abiola Ajimobi (deceased) and later appointed by Makinde as chairman of the Ladoke Akintola Airport upgrade committee, has been named in the media as the likely candidate. However, Makinde’s media aide, Dr. Suleimon Olanrewaju, dismissed these reports, stating that the governor is still in the process of wide consultations and would announce his choice at the appropriate time.
