Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will unseat the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2026 Osun State governorship election.
Oyetola made this assertion while welcoming prominent PDP members Dotun Babayemi, a former governorship aspirant, and Mr. Shuaibu Oyedokun, a former National Deputy Chairman of the PDP, into the APC on Friday.
He encouraged APC members to embrace the new defectors without discrimination. “It is ironic that we lost an election over a year ago, yet we see no major defections from our party. Instead, it is the ruling party’s members who are joining us, showing that APC remains the party to beat,” Oyetola said. “Alhaji Shuiabu and Dotun Babayemi have realized the difference between progressive and conservative politics and have returned to the APC.”
Mr. Tajudeen Lawal, APC Chairman in Osun State, assured Babayemi and other defectors that they would be given equal opportunities within the party. “Your decision to join the APC is wise and divinely influenced. The APC is truly a party of the people,” he remarked.
Babayemi announced that he, along with his entire political network and members of his Atunto group, had joined the APC. “Since Oyetola left office, things have deteriorated in Osun. We must work to ensure the APC returns to power. From today, it’s APC meetings at every level,” he stated.
Mr. Oyedokun cited the contamination of the founding ideals of the PDP as his reason for defecting.
Akinsola Basiru, the APC National Secretary, welcomed the new members, encouraging them to integrate seamlessly into the party. “On behalf of the National Working Committee, I welcome you to our party. Do not feel like strangers,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that APC flags were later presented to Oyedokun and other defectors, symbolizing their official integration into the party.
