More than 200 former councillors elected on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), pledging to mobilise support for Senator Sharafadeen Alli and other party candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to the statement made available to journalists by the spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress [APC], Wale Sadare, the defectors, who served in the legislative arms of the 33 local government councils between 2021 and 2024, were received at the APC state secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, on Tuesday by members of the party’s State Executive Committee led by its chairman, Otunba Moses Alake Adeyemo.

The former Senate Leader and Coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Teslim Folarin, and members of his team were also present during the reception.

Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Hon. Muili Kazeem Arowodana said their decision to leave the ruling APM followed what he described as years of maltreatment, deprivation and exclusion under Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration.

Arowodana alleged that the former councillors served for three years without adequate remuneration, allowances or the opportunity to facilitate meaningful development projects in their constituencies.

“We are here at the Secretariat of the APC in Oyo State this afternoon to formalise our status as new members of the progressive family,” he said.

He accused the state government of diverting local government funds through the joint account arrangement, alleging that the practice deprived councils of resources needed to provide services and execute projects for residents.

Arowodana also alleged that Makinde had withheld their severance packages, leaving some former councillors in financial difficulty.

He claimed that the situation had affected the welfare of several former councillors and alleged that some had died after being unable to afford medical treatment.

The allegations could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.

The defectors also criticised the emergence of a possible successor to Makinde, insisting that Alli was better placed to lead the state after the 2027 election.

“We have a far better candidate in Senator Sharafadeen Alli, and we have determined to work for him and other APC candidates going forward,” Arowodana said.

They pledged to mobilise voters across the state for the APC in the forthcoming elections.