Ondo State Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi has stayed away from the congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He joined the party in June, but refused to resign from office.
Ajayi contested the primary election, losing to Eyitayo Jegede.
After the loss, he denied plans to leave the party.
His campaign posters on a new platform-Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), have surfaced, although he is yet to resign from the PDP.
A close aide said Ajayi was not in Akure. Voting has begun at the PDP congress.
Outgoing Acting Chairman Clement Faboyede said he expected the winners to embrace all contestants.
He said the peaceful conduct of the exercise showed that the PDP was different from other parties.
Faboyede, an engineer, said the PDP wanted to go into the governorship election as a united family.
The campaign posters and banners of Ajayi, seeking to contest the October 10 governorship poll on the platform of the ZLP, have flooded the social media and streets of Akure.
ZLP’s secretariat in Akure has also been adorned with Ajayi’s campaign posters, which confirms the rumour that the deputy governor will dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) this week.
Ajayi resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the PDP in June.
Last month, he contested the PDP primary election, but failed to secure the ticket, which was won by Jegede.
Ajayi was said to have met former governor Olusegun Mimiko, during which arrangements were finalised on his move to the ZLP.
An aide to Ajayi, who pleaded anonymity, said his boss was aware of the ZLP campaign posters, but did not authorised them.
The aide said talks have reached an advanced stage for Ajayi’s formal defection to the ZLP.