The immediate past Chief of Staff to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi, has led 32 other chieftains of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Ogbomoso to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), in a major political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The defectors were formally received into the APC on Tuesday at a rally held at Oja’Gbo, in front of Soun Ogunlola Hall, Ogbomoso, which attracted a large crowd of party members and supporters. Vehicular movement in the city centre was reportedly disrupted for more than three hours as supporters turned out to witness the event.
Other prominent defectors included Alhaji Rasak Gbadegesin, popularly known as Agbeti; Hon. Timothy Oyeniyi; Hon. Alabi Olateju; Dr. Banji Folaranmi; Hon. Isaiah Adegbite; Hon. Peter Oyetunji; and the APM Chairman in Ogbomoso North Local Government, Hon. Jimoh Sikiru.
The defection also involved council secretaries, chiefs of staff, supervisory councillors and special assistants to council chairmen across Ogbomoso North, Ogbomoso South, Surulere and Ogo-Oluwa Local Government Areas.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Ogunwuyi said they joined the APC to contribute to the party’s growth and electoral success, expressing confidence that the party would win convincingly across Ogbomoso Zone in the 2027 elections.
Welcoming the new members, the APC Chairman in Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, assured them of equal opportunities within the party. He urged them to work towards securing victory for APC candidates in the forthcoming general elections.
Explaining his decision to leave the APM, Dr. Banji Folaranmi described the party as a one-man political organisation, alleging that Governor Makinde was solely running its affairs.
Also speaking at the rally, the APC governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, described the APM as a collapsing political structure, saying the defection of prominent politicians from the party was evidence of its dwindling influence.
“For people like Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi, Alhaji Rasak Agbeti and other politicians of substance to abandon Governor Makinde, it means a lot. I use this medium to tell the few ones still there to leave now and join us in the APC,” Alli said.
The APC governorship candidate expressed confidence that the development would strengthen the party’s chances in Ogbomoso and across Oyo State ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The defection is expected to reshape political calculations in Ogbomoso Zone, particularly as political parties intensify efforts to consolidate their grassroots structures ahead of the next electoral cycle. It also represents a potential challenge to the political influence of Governor Makinde and the APM in the area.
Among the prominent APC leaders who attended the rally were former senators Ayoade Adeseun and Brimoh Yusuf; Chief Kemi Alao-Akala; former Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olagunju Ojo; Chief Akin Oke; and Alhaji Bashiru Akataapa.
Others included Hon. Aderemi Adepoju, Hon. Abiodun Adeyemo, popularly known as Obadoba, and members of the Oyo State APC Executive Committee.
Also present were the Director-General of the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Council, Asiwaju Yemi Aderibigbe, and his deputy, Hon. Sola Ogunbode.
Political candidates at the event included the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Hon. Adesoji Adedeji, alongside Mrs Hannah Ogunesan, Hon. Segun Odebunmi and Hon. Olamijuwon Alao-Akala.
