2027: Oyo PDP Guber Aspirant Niyi Aborishade Defects To ADC
KAZEEM AWOJOODU
IBADAN – A 2027 governorship aspirant in Oyo State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Barrister Niyi Aborishade, has formally defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing prolonged internal crises and the collapse of internal democracy within the PDP.
Aborishade, a legal practitioner and politician, announced his defection on Tuesday during a meeting with leaders and members of the ADC in Oyo State.
He said persistent factionalisation within the PDP had made it increasingly difficult for the party to function effectively or present a credible candidate ahead of the next general election.
According to him, his years of commitment, sacrifice and personal investment in the PDP yielded little progress, as the party failed to resolve its internal conflicts.
He described the situation as having deteriorated to a point where democratic principles, fairness and equity were no longer guaranteed.
“With the current situation in the PDP, the factions and unresolved internal crises, it appears the party may not even be able to produce a candidate in the next election,” Aborishade said.
“We have laboured for PDP, we have spent our personal resources, but the road has become too long. The protagonists in the party refuse to listen to the voice of reason, and democracy is clearly at risk.”
He acknowledged that external influences may have worsened the party’s problems but insisted that the PDP failed to properly manage its internal affairs, allowing the crisis to persist.
This, he said, informed his decision to join the ADC, which he described as a party committed to democratic values and internal fairness.
Aborishade disclosed that he defected alongside a large number of his supporters drawn from the 33 local government areas of Oyo State, many of whom he described as leaders and key stakeholders within the PDP.
The governorship hopeful stressed that his decision was not driven by personal ambition but by the need for a political platform that guarantees free and fair competition.
“ADC is not about accepting me alone; it is about providing a platform for everybody to contest elections. It is about fundamental human rights, fairness, equity and a level playing ground. There will be no imposition of candidates. That era is gone,” he said.
He further expressed readiness to work with any candidate that emerges through a transparent process, even if he does not secure the party’s ticket.
“If at the end of the day I am not chosen, I am ready to work with anybody, because it is about the party and the people of Oyo State, not about me,” Aborishade added.
In his remarks, the Oyo State Chairman of the ADC, Alhaji Yinka Olona, welcomed Aborishade into the party, describing his defection as a significant boost to the party’s growing influence in the state.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Barrister Niyi Aborishade into the fold of the African Democratic Congress,” Olona said.
“He is not the first to join us, and he will certainly not be the last. As far as we are concerned, PDP is already at the graveyard, only waiting for final burial.”
Olona added that the ADC remains a viable opposition capable of offering Nigerians a credible alternative, noting that defections into the party were increasing nationwide.