Another political tsunami on Wednesday, 26th August, 2026, swept through the Ibarapa-East local government area of Oyo state, ahead of the 2027 general elections, as more than 1,000 supporters drawn from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Remi Oseni Committee of Friends (RICOF) abandoned their former political camp and defected to the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM).
The atmosphere at the gathering changed from political consultation to a declaration of allegiance when the Omoluabi Movement formally announced its decision to align with the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM).
The movement said the decision was reached after extensive consultations across the various wards and communities of Ibarapa-East.
The defectors, led by the Omoluabi Political Movement under the leadership of Amb. Ojewola Olawale, made their position known at a strategic political meeting held in Ibarapa-East on Wednesday.
At the meeting, which attracted ward leaders, youth and women mobilizers, community stakeholders, and political supporters from across the local government, the group declared its readiness to work for the success of APM candidates in the 2027 general elections.
Receiving the defectors into the party, the APM candidate for Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency, Engr. Hon. Kolawole Sheu Adedeji (KSA), who arrived with a team of party leaders and political stakeholders, including Hon. Gbenga Obalowo, Hon. Olabiyi, and other APM leaders from Ibarapa East and Ido, delivered the goodwill message of the Oyo South Senatorial Candidate of APM, Hon. Adedeji Olajide Odidiomo, who welcomed the defectors into the APM fold and urged them to see the development as the beginning of a stronger political partnership.
He appealed to the new members to mobilise their wards and communities for the success of all APM candidates in 2027, stressing the importance of unity and grassroots organisation.
Hon. Kolawole Sheu Adedeji (KSA) also commended the Omoluabi Movement for what he described as its courage to make a strategic political decision based on its assessment of the direction it believed would best serve the people.
The coordinator of the movement, Comrade Olaleye Gafar, said more than 1,000 registered members of the movement had resolved to follow the political direction of its founder, Amb. Ojewola Olawale.
Gafar, on behalf of the group, declared, “Wherever you go, we go.” He said the movement was not interested in politics driven merely by party colors but in leadership that could deliver development, representation, and opportunities to the people.
The movement’s position was reinforced by other ward leaders, including Comrade Odetunde Damilare of Aborerin Ward 4; Comrade Oke Lukmon Opeyemi of Anko; Mrs Ogundele Temitope of Isaba Ward 3; Comrade Oyerinde Emmanuel of Oke Oba Ward 1; and Adegoke Lateefa, Deputy Women Leader from Lanlate.
The gathering also received the support of elders and community stakeholders, including Pa Lawrence Okediran, Chief Ojelere Sunday, both of Aborerin, Hon. Leke Babatunde and other respected political voices.
The climax of the meeting was the adoption of APM candidates across the board for the 2027 elections. The Omoluabi Political Movement resolved to mobilise its members for APM candidates from the Senatorial and Federal House of Representatives to the State House of Assembly and other elective positions.
The new political alliance also announced openly its declaration of loyalty to Governor Seyi Makinde and political leaders associated with the emerging alignment, including Hon. Adedeji Dhikrullahi Stanley Olajide Odidiomo, Oyo South senatorial candidate of Allied Peoples’ Movement in the 2027 general election.
The defectors insisted that their decision was not merely about leaving one party for another but about what they described as a new political direction premised on dialogue, development, and people-oriented leadership.
They maintained that the 2027 election should be determined by competence, character, track record, and the capacity of candidates to deliver, rather than party sentiment alone.
Packaged by Temitayo Afolabi
