The growing influence of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, within the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) became more evident on Tuesday as six members of the Oyo State caucus in the House of Representatives defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the party.
The defections were announced during plenary at the House of Representatives following the Sallah recess.
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, who presided over the session, read 13 letters from lawmakers informing the House of their decisions to change political parties.
The six Oyo lawmakers who joined the APM are Anthony Adebayo, Adedeji Olajide, Sunday Makanjuola, Oyedeji Oyeshina, Fola Oyekunle and Adigun Adekunle.
The development comes after Governor Makinde recently left the PDP for the APM and declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the party.
In separate letters read during plenary, the lawmakers said their decision to leave the PDP was due to the prolonged leadership crisis and internal divisions within the party.
They stated that the challenges within the PDP had forced them to seek a new political platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
With the latest defections, Makinde has succeeded in bringing six of the 14 members of the Oyo State caucus in the House of Representatives into the APM, further strengthening the party’s presence in the state.
