The immediate past Chief of Staff to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), alongside 32 other chieftains of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), in a major political realignment in Ogbomoso.
The defection, which took place on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at Oja’Gbo, in front of Soun Ogunlola Hall, attracted a large crowd of APC members and supporters, bringing vehicular movement in the city centre to a standstill for more than three hours.
Other prominent defectors included Alhaji Rasak Gbadegesin, popularly known as Agbeti; Hon. Timothy Oyeniyi; Hon. Alabi Olateju; Dr. Banji Folaranmi; Hon. Isaiah Adegbite; Hon. Peter Oyetunji; and the APM Chairman in Ogbomoso North Local Government, Hon. Jimoh Sikiru.
Also among the defectors were council secretaries, chiefs of staff, supervisory councillors and special assistants to the chairmen of Ogbomoso North, Ogbomoso South, Surulere and Ogo-Oluwa local governments.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Ogunwuyi said they joined the APC to contribute to the party’s growth and electoral success, expressing confidence that the party would win convincingly across Ogbomoso Zone in the 2027 general elections.
Welcoming the defectors, the Oyo APC Chairman, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, assured them of equal opportunities within the party, urging them to work collectively towards the success of its candidates in the forthcoming elections.
Similarly, Folaranmi explained that his decision to leave the APM was informed by what he described as the party’s one-man structure, alleging that Governor Makinde was the only person effectively running its affairs.
The APC governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, described the mass defection as evidence of the declining political fortunes of the APM under Makinde’s leadership.
Alli said the decision of Ogunwuyi, Gbadegesin and other prominent political figures to abandon the APM demonstrated growing dissatisfaction within the party.
“For the likes of Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi, Alh. Rasak Agbeti and other politicians of substance to abandon Governor Makinde, it means a lot. I use this medium to tell the few ones that are still there to leave now and join us in the APC,” he said.
The APC candidate expressed optimism that the development would strengthen his party’s political standing in Ogbomoso and improve its chances in the 2027 governorship election.
The defection is considered a significant boost to the APC’s grassroots mobilisation efforts in Ogbomoso Zone, particularly as political activities and alignments intensify ahead of the next general elections.
It also represents a potential setback for the APM, which is seeking to consolidate its influence in the state following Makinde’s emergence as its political leader.
Among the prominent APC leaders at the rally were former senators Ayoade Adeseun and Brimoh Yusuf; former Oyo State Governor Chief Kemi Alao-Akala; former Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olagunju Ojo; Chief Akin Oke; Alhaji Bashiru Akataapa; Hon. Aderemi Adepoju; and Hon. Abiodun Adeyemo, popularly known as Obadoba, alongside members of the state APC executive committee.
Also present were the Director-General of the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Council, Asiwaju Yemi Aderibigbe, and his deputy, Hon. Sola Ogunbode.
Other political figures and candidates in attendance included the deputy governorship candidate, Hon. Adesoji Adedeji; Mrs Hannah Ogunesan; Hon. Segun Odebunmi; and Hon. Olamijuwon Alao-Akala.
The entry of Ogunwuyi and other influential political figures into the APC is expected to inject fresh momentum into Alli’s governorship ambition while intensifying the contest for political dominance in Ogbomoso and its environs.
