Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The political landscape of Oyo State witnessed a major realignment on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, as six members of the House of Representatives from the state formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). The defections, announced on the floor of the House by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas during the resumption of plenary after the Sallah break, came weeks after Governor Seyi Makinde himself left the PDP and declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election on the APM platform.
The six lawmakers who dumped the PDP for the APM are Anthony Adebayo, Adedeji Olajide, Sunday Makanjuola, Oyedeji Oyeshina, Fola Oyekunle, and Adigun Adekunle. In their separate letters of defection read by the Speaker, the legislators cited the protracted internal crisis and leadership tussle within the PDP as the primary reason for seeking a “more stable political platform” to pursue their ambitions ahead of the 2027 general elections. With this development, Governor Makinde has successfully moved six out of the 14 members of the Oyo State caucus in the House of Representatives to the APM, significantly expanding the party’s representation in the lower chamber and boosting its national profile.
The coordinated defections were not isolated to Oyo State. During the same plenary session, a total of 13 lawmakers announced their movement to new political parties, reflecting a wave of political realignments across the country. In Bauchi State, Auwalu Gwalabe also left the PDP to join the APM, further swelling the party’s ranks. Meanwhile, the PDP recorded notable gains elsewhere, including the defection of Shehu Dalhatu (Katsina State) from the APC, Alex Egbona (Cross River State) from the APC, and Etanabene Benedict (Delta State) from the Labour Party.
The mass exodus from the PDP in Oyo State is the culmination of a political strategy set in motion weeks earlier. On May 15, 2026, Governor Makinde had formally declared his 2027 presidential ambition under the APM, blaming “a deliberate effort by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to redirect Nigeria to a one-party state”. Prior to the governor’s formal move, a significant number of his political allies and appointees had already resigned from the PDP. Notably, former House of Representatives member Shina Peller, who had been adopted as the PDP consensus candidate for Oyo North Senatorial District, quit the party in early May to join the APM. Similarly, Adedeji Olajide, who was the PDP consensus candidate for Oyo South Senatorial District, also resigned and switched allegiance to the APM, as did Olufemi Ajadi, the consensus candidate for Oyo Central Senatorial District.
Political observers in the state attribute the mass defection to a strategy employed by Governor Makinde to beat the May 9 deadline stipulated in the new electoral guidelines, which mandated that governors publicly announce their preferred successors by that date. However, the governor’s media aide, Dr. Suleimon Olanrewaju, had dismissed speculations about the governor picking a successor, stating that Makinde was still consulting widely. Analysts note that by moving his loyalists en masse to the APM, Makinde is effectively consolidating his political base ahead of the 2027 elections, positioning himself as a formidable force in the opposition.
The development has not gone without criticism. On May 14, 2026, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike had dismissed the PDP-APM alliance as “political 419,” accusing Makinde of exploiting the APM platform purely to advance a personal presidential ambition that, according to Wike, was “dead before it could take off”. Despite the scathing remarks, Governor Makinde has remained resolute, and the Tuesday defections underscore his determination to reshape the political landscape of Oyo State and beyond.
With the 2027 elections still over a year away, the political realignment in Oyo State signals a deepening fragmentation within the PDP and the emergence of the APM as a new force to reckon with in the South-West. As the defected lawmakers pledged to continue serving their constituents with dedication, the people of Oyo State now watch closely to see whether this mass movement will translate into tangible political capital for the governor’s presidential bid—or further alienate a base weary of political crises.
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