The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has suffered another political setback ahead of the 2027 elections after hundreds of its members in Offa Local Government Area defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
NEWSNGR reports that the defectors were drawn from several wards across the local government, including Shawo Central Ward, the political stronghold of the senator representing Kwara South, Lola Ashiru, as well as the political ward of the state governor.
The development was announced during a defection ceremony in Offa on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event, the leader of the Shawo Central Ward defectors, Ezekiel Adepoju, said the group decided to leave the APC because of its confidence in the leadership of former Senate President and PDP chieftain, Bukola Saraki.
Adepoju said the defectors believed the PDP offered a better platform to advance the political interests of Offa and Kwara State.
“We are convinced that the PDP remains the better platform for the political future of Offa and Kwara State,” he said.
He added that Saraki’s leadership within the opposition party also influenced their decision.
The defection was followed by a solidarity rally by women in Shawo Central Ward, who reportedly came out in large numbers to celebrate the development.
The women moved through parts of the community, singing traditional songs and expressing their support for Saraki and the PDP.
They also pledged to mobilise voters across the local government for the opposition party ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a separate development, another group of APC members from the governor’s political ward also announced their defection to the PDP.
The group, led by Taofeek Mohammed, attributed its decision to what it described as disappointment with the APC administration and concerns over the direction of governance in the state.
Mohammed described the development as significant, particularly because the defectors came from the governor’s political base.
“For a governor who has repeatedly presented himself as a leader with strong grassroots support, the continued loss of hundreds of supporters from his own ward raises serious questions about the performance of his administration and his connection with the people,” he said.
Mohammed argued that a party’s political strength should be measured by the electorate’s confidence rather than by government publicity or social media activity.
“Political strength is not measured by government propaganda or social media claims. It is measured by the confidence of the people,” he said.
He maintained that the movement of hundreds of APC members to the opposition could not be dismissed as an ordinary political realignment.
“When hundreds of people leave a ruling party in the governor’s own backyard and choose the opposition, it becomes difficult to dismiss such a development as ordinary political movement,” Mohammed stated.
The defectors pledged to mobilise more residents to join the PDP and work to secure victory for the party in the 2027 elections.
