Several prominent members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State have officially defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The announcement was made on Monday, June 9, 2025, marking a significant shift in the state’s political landscape.
The defectors include high-ranking party officials, former candidates, and influential political figures who cited internal crises and disunity within the PDP as reasons for their departure.
Leading the group was Hakeem Amode, the former Lagos State PDP Publicity Secretary. He expressed deep disappointment over the party’s declining relevance and its failure to resolve ongoing factional disputes. Amode described the PDP as fractured and lacking direction, which motivated his decision to join the APC.
Other notable defectors include Alhaja Safurat Abdulkareem, a former deputy governorship candidate; Chief Ola Apena, the former deputy chairman of Lagos PDP; and Prince Rufus Ademola Adeniyi, who served as Assistant State Organising Secretary for Lagos West.
Jerry Afemikhe, also known as Olori Odo and a former House of Representatives candidate for Surulere Constituency 1, was also among those who left the PDP.
Several candidates who contested the 2023 Lagos State House of Assembly elections under the PDP banner also joined the APC.
These include Pastor Gbenga Ogunleye, who was spokesman to the PDP’s 2023 governorship candidate, along with Keshinro Abiodun (Epe I), Akeem Jinadu (Eti-Osa I), Ibrahim Balogun (Kosofe II), Taofeek Bolaji Obanikoro (Lagos Island I), Tunde Pratt (Lagos Mainland II), Saheed Aregbesola (Oshodi-Isolo II), Sulaimon A. Thompson (Surulere I), and Taofeek O. Kuye (Ajeromi-Ifelodun I). Adeyemi Kazeem, the former PDP chairman in Ojo Local Government Area, also defected.
At a press conference held in Ikeja, the defectors said they were inspired by the leadership of Dr. Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as “Jandor,” the PDP’s 2023 governorship candidate who had earlier joined the APC. They pledged to dismantle PDP structures at the ward and local government levels in favour of strengthening the APC’s presence.
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cc: Daily Post Ng
