More than 1,000 members of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing what they described as years of poor treatment and political victimisation.

The defectors, led by Hon. Mustapha Kazeem, popularly known as Oba Oluyole, were formally received into the APC at the party’s state secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, on Friday.

The development comes barely two weeks after thousands of APC members and supporters moved in the opposite direction, joining the APM in Oyo State, highlighting the increasingly fluid political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Kazeem alleged that members of his group had not received adequate recognition for their political support for Governor Seyi Makinde and claimed that some had suffered victimisation from elements within the governor’s political structure in Oluyole.

He said the alleged experiences contributed to their decision to abandon the APM and join the APC.

“It came to a point that we could not pretend again and this made us to see the light in the progressive fold.”

Kazeem also accused the APM of becoming too closely associated with the Makinde administration and said the defectors had chosen to move to the APC, which he described as a platform capable of accommodating their interests.

The defectors were received by the Oyo State APC Chairman, Otunba Moses Alake Adeyemo, alongside members of the party’s state executive committee.

The APC Chairman urged the new members to put their previous political differences behind them and work with existing party members to strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 elections.

As part of the reception, Adeyemo presented brooms to the defectors, symbolising their formal admission into the APC.

The event was attended by several APC leaders and political figures, including the party’s Oluyole Federal Constituency candidate, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, and its candidate for Oluyole State Constituency, Hon. Hakeem Lawal.

Oyo’s evolving political dynamics

The latest defection adds another layer to the political realignment taking place in Oyo ahead of 2027.

On September 21, Governor Makinde received thousands of former APC members into the APM at a political event in Ibadan. The defectors were led by Ajiboye Sangogade, popularly known as Boye Nation, an ally of former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu.

The movement of supporters between the APC and APM has consequently become a notable feature of Oyo’s emerging 2027 political contest.

With the latest development in Oluyole, both APC and APM will be watching closely as political structures, grassroots networks and alliances continue to shift across the state.