Mass defection hits PDP in Oyo

From Seye Ojo, Ibadan

Crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State has deepened as key chieftains and aspirants for the 2027 general elections resigned over lingering internal wrangling and leadership disputes at the national level.

Those who dumped the party include a House of Representatives member, representing Ibarapa Central/North federal constituency, Anthony Adebayo Adepoju, popularly known as Ibarapakan; Chairman of Oluyole Local Government, Akeem Olatunji; Special Adviser on Security to Governor Seyi Makinde and Executive Secretary of the Oyo State Security Trust Fund, Fatai Owoseni and governorship aspirant, Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo.

The defectors blamed their exit on the unresolved crisis within the PDP, which they said could frustrate their political ambitions ahead of the 2027 elections.

“I am leaving the party because of the leadership crisis rocking the party,” Adepoju said.

Also, Olatunji, in his resignation letter dated May 5, 2026, Olatunji attributed his decision to disagreements among PDP leaders at the national level.

He thanked the party leadership for the opportunity to serve and said consultations were ongoing before announcing his next political move.

Ajadi, in a separate letter dated May 6, 2026, said he was quitting the PDP after extensive consultations and careful reflection on his political future.

The governorship aspirant warned that the lingering internal crisis within the party could pose legal challenges to his ambition.

“Politics, for me, has always been a calling to serve humanity, not a contest of egos,” he stated, while expressing appreciation to the PDP leadership for the platform given to him.

In the same vein, Owoseni a former Commissioner of Police in Lagos and Benue states, who is a governorship hopeful in the state, in his resignation letter dated May 7, 2026, thanked Governor Makinde for the opportunity to serve the state. He stated that his resignation took immediate effect.

His exit came hours after the emergence of a former Commissioner for Finance in the state, Abimbola Adekanmbi, as a consensus governorship candidate, fuelling speculations that Owoseni might also join the 2027 governorship race on another political platform.