Several chieftains of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), including its 2023 Oluyole State Constituency candidate, Saheed Oyewale, have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The group, led by Oyewale, comprises former party officials and executive members who formally declared their allegiance to the APC.
It was gathered on Wednesday that the defectors were received at the APC state secretariat in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, by the party’s state chairman, Chief Moses Adeyemo.
Other prominent defectors included the SDP’s 2024 Oluyole chairmanship candidate, David Arowolo; former Oluyole Local Government Chairman, Ganiyu Lawal; Secretary, Adetunji Adewale; Women Leader, Taiwo Lasisi; Youth Leader, Muritala Jeje; and Public Relations Officer, Afeez Agbongbon.
Also in the delegation were local government and ward executive committee members of the SDP from all 10 electoral wards in Oluyole Local Government Area.
Speaking on the development, Oyewale said the decision was driven by his group’s desire to contribute to President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to transform the country.
He said, “We decided to join the APC because we appreciate the good work of President Tinubu and, as patriots, we cannot afford to stay away when we can be part of the success story.”
Oyewale further said more prominent SDP members would soon join the APC, expressing confidence that the defectors would contribute to the party’s electoral success in the 2027 elections.
He added, “Virtually all the people who matter in the SDP will join the APC in a matter of weeks, and I can assure you that we will all work for our new party to win big in 2027.”