2027: Senator Ajibola, Ex-APC Chair, 6,000 APC Members Move to PDP in Kwara State

In Kwara State, 6,000 former members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have defected to the People's Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 elections. This development is attributed to the ongoing political realignment in the state. The defection ceremony took place at the event ground opposite Amodu Filling Station in Osi town, Ekiti Local Government Area.

The defectors include Simeon Sule Ajibola, a former three-term senator from Kwara South, and Chief James Bamisaye Ayeni, chairman of the APC Kwara South Elders Forum.

Ayeni explained that his decision to lead the APC Elders Forum out of the ruling party was a result of extensive consultations and a shared resolve among grassroots leaders to seek political alignment aimed at restoring effective governance, inclusion, and true democratic representation in Kwara South. Ajibola echoed the same sentiments, expressing his dissatisfaction with the systematic marginalization and neglect of his people under the current administration.

Ajibola, representing the PDP structure, affirmed his full alignment with the PDP come 2027. He pledged to utilize all his political structures to restore the local government and the Kwara South Senatorial district to the PDP. Justus Sayo Amos, the Kwara South PDP Senatorial Chairman, welcomed the new members and praised Ayeni, Ajibola, and other defectors for joining PDP.

The PDP lauded the decision of the defected members, recognizing the importance of grassroots realignment in the state, which they believe will bring about good governance, effective representation, and leadership in 2027. However, a PDP chieftain and President of Orisun Igbomina, Chief Gbenga Awoyale, criticized the Kwara APC Reconciliation Committee, stating that its efforts to reconcile were too late to prevent the ongoing wave of opposition defections.