More than 1,000 chieftains, leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara South have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The defectors, led by Dr. Audu Musa Idowu, a former influential figure of the PDP in the senatorial district, were formally received into the APC on Friday at a ceremony held at the party's secretariat in Osi, headquarters of Ekiti Local Government Area.
The mass defection drew PDP leaders and grassroots supporters from five local government areas - Ekiti, Oke-Ero, Isin, Irepodun and Ifelodun - in what political observers have described as a major realignment in Kwara South.
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Addressing party leaders and supporters, Dr. Audu said his exit from the PDP was informed by extensive consultations and fundamental disagreements over the opposition party's zoning and power-sharing arrangement.
According to him, stakeholders across Kwara South, including traditional rulers and community leaders from the Igbomina and Ekiti blocs, had demanded a rotational formula that would allow the Igbomina bloc to produce the next Senator for Kwara South, while the Ekiti bloc produces the next member of the House of Representatives.
He said the agitation was anchored on equity, fairness and inclusiveness, with a further argument that Kwara North, which has not produced a governor since 1999, should be given the opportunity to produce the next governor of the state in 2027.
Audu said he became disenchanted when the PDP, in his view, ignored the clamour and retained its existing zoning structure.
He faulted the PDP's decision to zone its 2027 governorship ticket to Kwara Central, noting that the district has held the governorship for about 20 of the 28 years since the return to democracy in 1999.
He also criticised the party's decision to zone its Kwara South Senatorial ticket to the Offa/Ibolo axis, which he said has held the seat for the past 12 consecutive years, while the Igbomina bloc has not had a comparable opportunity.
On the House of Representatives seat, Audu argued that zoning the ticket to Omu-Aran did not address the demand for genuine rotation, as the area has dominated representation for most of the period since 1999.
"The APC has demonstrated greater consideration for inclusiveness in its political arrangement," Audu declared.
He said the APC's decision to zone its governorship to Kwara North, its Kwara South Senatorial ticket to the Igbomina bloc, and its House of Representatives ticket to the Ekiti bloc aligned with the popular demand for broader representation.
He pledged to deploy his political structures across the seven local government areas of Kwara South to strengthen the APC's chances in 2027.
Receiving the defectors, the Kwara State Chairman of the APC, Prince Fagbemi Sunday, described Audu's defection as a major boost for the party in Kwara South.
Fagbemi described Audu as a major financial and organisational pillar of the PDP since the party lost power in the state in 2019, noting that his movement came with several prominent PDP figures and thousands of grassroots supporters.
Among the notable defectors were former Commissioner Hon. Samuel O. Bamisaiye; Kwara PDP Legal Adviser, Barrister Aborishade; former PDP Secretary in Ekiti LGA, Chief Awe Femi; former LGEA Secretary in Oke-Ero LGA, Hon. Femi Charles Adebayo; PDP Publicity Secretary in Ekiti LGA, Bodunde Segun; immediate past Koro Ward Councillor, Hon. Andero Olaniyi; PDP Youth Leader in Ajase Ward 1, Lawal Saheed; former Youth Leader in Ajase Ward 2, Hammed Oluwanisola; former Women Leader in Ajase Ward 1, Olamide Kafayat; PDP Financial Secretary in Ifelodun LGA, Chief Olatomiwa Kolawole; PDP Ward Secretary in Share 4, Kolawole Samuel; and former Ajase 2 Councillor, Hon. Adebayo Fatai.
The APC chairman assured the new entrants of equal opportunities and full integration into the party structure.
They were subsequently presented with the APC broom insignia by the Ekiti Local Government APC Chairman, Elder Ajibola Ayoola, as a symbol of their formal acceptance.
In his remarks, the member representing Ekiti Constituency in the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Abolarin Ganiyu Gabriel, welcomed the defectors and reiterated that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq remains the recognised leader of the APC in Kwara State.
He urged the new members to operate within the party's established leadership structure and cautioned against aligning with groups operating outside it, particularly the group known as G-15 or "Rainbow Coalition."
The defection ceremony was attended by the APC Deputy Governorship Candidate, Hon. David Oluwanseun Ogunniyi; APC Senatorial Candidate for Kwara South, Prince Lekan Adewoye; House of Representatives Candidate, Chief Mrs. Olayemi Olasumbo Florence; House of Assembly candidates and Executive Chairmen of Ekiti and Oke-Ero LGAs, Hon. Awelewa Olawale Gabriel and Elder James Fadipe, among other party stalwarts.
The development is expected to reshape the political contest in Kwara South as parties intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of 2027.
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