Thousands of supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by political organiser Ajiboye Sangogade, have joined the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The defection took place on Monday at the Boye Nation/JAF Movement Mega Concert held at the Open Tennis Court of the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan.
Sangogade, popularly known as Boye Nation and a personal assistant and loyalist of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, led the defectors, who were drawn from several local government areas across the state.
The event also brought together APM leaders and candidates, including the party’s Oyo Central Senatorial District candidate, Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, who described the gathering as an opportunity to strengthen the party’s grassroots structure.
Speaking with journalists after the event, Ajadi said the turnout and participation of political stakeholders reflected what he described as growing support for the APM across Oyo State.
He said the gathering allowed party leaders and supporters to interact with residents while consolidating their structures ahead of the 2027 elections.
Governor Seyi Makinde, who formally received the defectors, also expressed confidence in the APM’s prospects in the forthcoming elections. The governor said the movement of APC members into the APM was an indication of increasing political activity around the party.
Makinde also directed criticism at the APC governorship candidate, Sharafadeen Alli, advising him to focus on the APM’s governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, rather than his administration.
The governor said opposition politicians should concentrate on persuading voters through their programmes and political platforms.
Adekanmbi was adopted as the APM’s consensus governorship candidate during the party’s governorship and legislative primaries in May.
The event, held under the theme “Young, United, Unstoppable,” combined political mobilisation with entertainment and featured several Fuji performers. It was attended by APM leaders, government officials, members of the National and state assemblies and other political stakeholders.
Makinde, who is also the APM’s presidential candidate, used the occasion to reaffirm his support for Adekanmbi as the party’s candidate for the Oyo governorship election.
The latest movement of APC members into the APM adds another development to the evolving political alignments in Oyo State as parties and candidates prepare for the 2027 elections.
