APM gets a boost in Oyo state as six Oyo Reps joins from PDP

By Lateef Ibrahim

Governor Seyi Makinde’s growing influence within the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) received a major boost on Tuesday as six members of the House of Representatives from Oyo State formally dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the APM.
The lawmakers, widely regarded as loyalists of the Oyo governor, announced their defection during plenary at the House of Representatives following the resumption from the Sallah recess.
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas read letters from 13 lawmakers across the country notifying the House of their change of political parties, with the Oyo lawmakers citing unresolved internal crises and leadership disputes within the PDP as the reason for their departure.
The defectors are Anthony Adebayo, Adedeji Olajide, Sunday Makanjuola, Oyedeji Oyeshina, Fola Oyekunle and Adigun Adekunle.
Their exit further consolidates Makinde’s political base in the National Assembly after the governor’s recent departure from the PDP and emergence as the presidential candidate of the APM.
The latest development means that six of the 14 members of the Oyo State caucus in the House of Representatives have now aligned with the governor in his new political platform.
The lawmakers maintained that the prolonged leadership tussle within the PDP had made it difficult for them to remain in the party, prompting their decision to seek a new political vehicle ahead of the 2027 elections.
The defections are expected to strengthen the APM’s presence in Oyo State and bolster Makinde’s efforts to build a national political structure following his presidential nomination by the party.
Political observers see the movement of the lawmakers as an indication of Makinde’s continued influence in Oyo politics despite his departure from the PDP, with more realignments anticipated in the coming months.