Two candidates from rival political parties in the Ibadan North-East State Constituency 2, along with more than 3,000 of their supporters, formally joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State on Friday, October 3, 2026. The mass defection, reported by The Punch on Saturday, October 3, was led by Hammed Ademola, who held the People's Democratic Party (PDP) ticket for the constituency and is popularly called Lucky, alongside Adedapo Ojo, who had been pursuing an Accord Party nomination in the same seat.
Why the Candidates Left Their Parties
In a statement, Ademola said his exit from the PDP was driven by what he described as the political realities on the ground in Oyo State. He explained that his decision came after careful consideration of the political landscape.
"I did my due diligence and realised that any ticket outside the APC is a mere tissue paper that cannot take a candidate anywhere in 2027," Ademola said. "We are here in our hundreds to join the APC formally, and we promise to do our best in the interest of the progressive party and our dear country, Nigeria."
Ojo, for his part, described his time with the Accord Party as a wasted effort. He said the party had failed to establish itself as a credible alternative in the state.
"We thought about making Accord a credible alternative in the state, but we later realized that the APC was far ahead of other parties. We wasted our time, energy and resources on an unproductive exercise. We later realized it wasn't worth it, so we decided to pitch our tent with the progressive party," Ojo said.
APC Leaders Welcome New Members
The APC chairman in Oyo State, Moses Alake-Adeyemo, received the defectors and pledged that they would be given equal opportunities within the party. He urged the new members to commit fully to the party's effort to win the 2027 elections.
Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the APC governorship candidate in Oyo State, also addressed the gathering and promised an inclusive administration if he wins the governorship contest. He framed the defections as a positive sign for the party's prospects.
"It is a thing of joy that reasonable individuals are abandoning their parties to join the APC at a time like this. The hope is getting brighter every day, and it is now important for us to prepare because Oyo State deserves the best from May 2027," Alli said.
Campaign Promises and Attendees
Alli made several campaign commitments before the new members, including prompt payment of salaries and allowances for civil servants and pensioners. He also promised to set up ICT hubs across Ibadan, Oke-Ogun, Ogbomoso, Oyo, and Ibarapa before January 2029, and to ensure that all 33 local government councils in the state have functional general hospitals.
The APC deputy governorship candidate, Adesoji Adedeji, and the Oyo South Senatorial candidate, Aderemi Oseni, were among the party leaders who attended the event.
Earlier Defection in Rivers State
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that former governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers State, Tonte Ibraye, resigned his membership of the party. Ibraye cited the prolonged leadership crisis and unresolved legal disputes over its internal structures and the conduct of its processes ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ibraye, who ran for governor in the 2023 election, announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the ADC Ward Chairman, Degema Ward 16, Bille, Rivers State. He said he had remained committed to the ADC and its principles of internal democracy, fairness and respect for legitimate party structures, but recent developments within the party had made his continued membership untenable.
