The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday strengthened its political foothold in Oyo State with the formal entry of more than 50,000 defectors drawn from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The ceremony, held in Ibadan, attracted a long list of party heavyweights led by former Senate Leader and Oyo State Ambassador of the Renewed Hope Agenda, Senator Teslim Kolawole Folarin.
He was joined by the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu; Senators Abdulfatai Buhari and Sharafadeen Alli; Oyo APC Chairman, Isaac Omodewu; and several past deputy governors, including Chiefs Iyiola Oladokun and Moses Alake, as well as Engr. Rauf Olaniyan.
Also present were Senator Ayo Adeseun, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, Engr. Idris Adeoye, Hon. Remi Oseni, Hon. Olamiju Alao-Akala, Mrs Hannah Ogunesan, Prof. Adeolu Akande, Hon. Bolaji Repete, Hon. Akeem Akogun, Alhaji Saheed Alaran, Alhaji Wasiu Dauda and Hon. Yinka Taiwo.
Welcoming the new members, Senator Folarin said the turnout was a bold statement of confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope project and the APC’s ability to offer a more inclusive and accountable government.
He added that the party in Oyo had overcome its past divisions and is now united behind a clear strategy as preparations begin for the 2027 elections.
Minister Adelabu, while commending the defection wave among them Senator Hosea Ayoola, a former ally of Governor Seyi Makinde, described the move as a courageous decision anchored on the need for “collective progress, stability and growth.’’
Senators Buhari and Alli further celebrated the development, stressing that the rising footfall into APC in Oyo reflected the party’s growing strength, statewide acceptance and renewed trust in the Tinubu administration.
Oyo APC chairman, Olayide Abass, urged the defectors to take full ownership of the party structure, assuring them of equal opportunities and internal democracy.
Speaking on behalf of the new entrants, Senator Ayoola said the decision followed wide-reaching consultations and the realisation that APC had become the most cohesive and credible platform for state and national development.
Following the Ibadan event, the party’s mobilisation team proceeded to Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency to ramp up sensitisation and grassroots mobilisation in support of President Tinubu’s 2027 bid.