• Defectors fault PDP zoning arrangement, embrace APC’s North–South power-sharing formula
The political equation in Kwara South may have entered a new phase ahead of the 2027 general elections following the formal defection of more than 1,000 chieftains, leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defectors, led by Dr. Audu Musa Idowu, a prominent former PDP figure in Kwara South, formally joined the APC at a ceremony held at the party’s secretariat in Osi, headquarters of Ekiti Local Government Area.
The large-scale defection brought together PDP leaders and grassroots supporters from Ekiti, Oke-Ero, Isin, Irepodun and Ifelodun Local Government Areas, in what party leaders described as a significant addition to the APC’s political structure in the senatorial district.
Addressing the gathering, Audu said his decision to leave the PDP was the product of extensive consultations and a disagreement with what he described as the opposition party’s approach to political zoning and representation in Kwara State.
He said he was particularly persuaded by the APC’s decision to structure its 2027 political arrangement around what he described as the principles of equity, fairness and inclusiveness.
According to him, socio-cultural and community stakeholders in Kwara South, including traditional rulers and political leaders from the Igbomina and Ekiti blocs, had advocated a rotational arrangement that would give the Igbomina bloc the opportunity to produce the next Kwara South Senator, while the Ekiti bloc produces the next House of Representatives member.
Audu said the wider argument was that every senatorial district and ethnic bloc should have a fair opportunity to participate in the distribution of elective offices.
He further argued that Kwara North, having not produced a governor since the beginning of the current democratic dispensation in 1999, should be considered for the governorship in 2027 if equity and political inclusion were to guide the process.
The former PDP chieftain said he became dissatisfied when, according to him, the PDP opted to retain its existing zoning arrangement rather than respond to those demands.
He specifically criticised the PDP’s decision to zone its governorship ticket to Kwara Central, noting that the district had produced the governor for about 20 of the 28 years of democratic governance since 1999.
He also questioned the PDP’s decision to zone its Kwara South senatorial ticket to the Offa/Ibolo axis, which he said had occupied the seat for the past 12 years, while the Igbomina bloc had yet to enjoy a comparable opportunity.
On the House of Representatives seat, Audu argued that the PDP’s decision to zone the ticket to Omu-Aran in the Igbomina bloc did not address the broader demand for rotation, noting that the constituency had, according to him, been represented from the area for much of the democratic period since 1999.
He said the contrast between the two parties’ arrangements influenced his decision to move his political structures into the APC.
«”The APC has demonstrated greater consideration for inclusiveness in its political arrangement,” Audu said, stressing that the party’s zoning of the governorship to Kwara North, the Kwara South senatorial ticket to the Igbomina bloc and the House of Representatives ticket to the Ekiti bloc reflected the clamour for broader representation.»
He pledged to deploy his political structures across the seven local government areas of Kwara South towards strengthening the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
‘A Major Boost for APC’
Receiving the defectors, the Kwara State Chairman of the APC, Prince Fagbemi Sunday, described Audu’s defection as a major development for the party in Kwara South.
Fagbemi described Audu as a major financier and organisational pillar of the PDP in the district since the party lost power in 2019, saying his movement to the APC was accompanied by several prominent PDP figures and grassroots supporters.
He listed among the defecting chieftains former commissioner Hon. Samuel O. Bamisaiye; Kwara PDP Legal Adviser, Barrister Aborishade; former PDP Secretary in Ekiti LGA, Chief Awe Femi; former LGEA Secretary in Oke-Ero LGA, Hon. Femi Charles Adebayo; PDP Publicity Secretary in Ekiti LGA, Bodunde Segun; immediate past Koro Ward councillor, Hon. Andero Olaniyi; PDP Youth Leader in Ajase Ward 1, Lawal Saheed; former Youth Leader in Ajase Ward 2, Hammed Oluwanisola; former Women Leader in Ajase Ward 1, Olamide Kafayat; PDP Financial Secretary in Ifelodun LGA, Chief Olatomiwa Kolawole; PDP Ward Secretary in Share 4, Kolawole Samuel; and former Ajase 2 councillor, Hon. Adebayo Fatai.
The APC chairman assured the new members that their admission into the party would not diminish the status of existing members, promising equal opportunities within the party structure.
The defectors were subsequently received by the Ekiti Local Government APC Chairman, Elder Ajibola Ayoola, who presented selected new members with the APC broom insignia as a symbol of their formal acceptance.
Abolarin: ‘Recognised Leadership Is With AbdulRazaq’
The member representing Ekiti Constituency in the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Abolarin Ganiyu Gabriel, also welcomed the defectors, assuring them that they would receive equal recognition within the APC.
Abolarin reiterated that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq remained the recognised leader of the APC in Kwara State and urged the new members to operate within the party’s established leadership structure.
He also cautioned them against engaging with groups he described as operating outside the recognised structure of the party, specifically referring to the group popularly known as the G-15 or “Rainbow Coalition.”
The event was attended by the APC Deputy Governorship Candidate, Hon. David Oluwanseun Ogunniyi; Kwara South Senatorial Candidate, Prince Lekan Adewoye; House of Representatives Candidate, Chief Mrs Olayemi Olasumbo Florence; APC House of Assembly candidates for Ekiti, Share/Oke-Ode and Omupo constituencies; and the Executive Chairmen of Ekiti and Oke-Ero Local Government Councils, Hon. Awelewa Olawale Gabriel and Elder James Fadipe.
Other party chieftains present included Aare Adeoti of Oke-Ero, Asiwaju Ayobola Samuel of Koro, Dr. Raji Rasaq of Osi, Alhaji Isa Abubakar, Chief W.S. Owolabi and Hon. Kayode Oladokun, among others.
The development adds a new dimension to the political contest in Kwara South ahead of 2027, as parties intensify efforts to build grassroots structures and consolidate support across the district’s seven local government areas.