A former governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ondo State, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, on Thursday defected to the African Democratic Congress, ADC, with his supporters.
He was received at a reception in Akure the state capital where the party’s presidential candidate in the 2027 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar urged Nigerians to vote out the APC in the coming elections.
The former Vice President said APC does not deserve a return to power as it has allegedly worsened the nation’s economic problems. Rather, he said Nigerians should vote in his party.
In his address to party members at the gathering, he said, “This is not a campaign rally; this is a welcome rally. We are going to come back for a campaign rally. We will let you know what ADC is going to do for you, for your future and next generations of Nigerians.
“Of course, we have started releasing teasers. We are committed to returning subsidy. Secondly, we are committed to returning security to all over this country. No part of this country will feel insecure anymore.”
He slammed the APC administration for what he described as its abysmal performance especially its management of the economy, compared to that of the Obasanjo-Abubakarvadministration.
His words, “Of course, you know what we did between 1999 and 2007. We took Nigeria to the best economy in Africa. Today, we are number five. The APC is responsible for taking us down,” he said.
“Is it not APC? So the best thing for us is to vote them out. There is this popular saying now which is that APC must go! Tinubu must go!”
He also urged opposition supporters to mobilise voters and protect their votes during the 2027 elections.
Atiku cited the 2026 Osun State governorship election as an example of what he described as effective voter mobilisation and protection of votes.
“We had a good example in the last governorship election in Osun State. What did we see there? We saw massive turnout of voters. We also saw massive protection of our votes,” Atiku said.
“Therefore, the APC couldn’t do anything. This is what we must make sure happens in this state, in Ondo State.”
He assured the gathering that the ADC would return to Ondo State to present its policy proposals ahead of the election.
The former Vice President also welcomed Jegede and his supporters into the ADC, describing the development as a positive step for the party.
The National Chairman of the ADC, Senator David Mark, was represented at the event by the National Secretary of the party, Rauf Aregbesola.
Aregbesola urged party members to mobilise voters and support ADC candidates in the forthcoming elections.
He said, “I want to appeal to you to vote ADC and protect your votes in the coming general election. I also want to urge you to go and campaign from now on till January and February.”
A former governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, also addressed Hausa-speaking members of the party and urged them to work for the party’s success in the 2027 elections.
Speaking at the event, Jegede said he joined the ADC because of what he described as the worsening economic situation in the country.
He said, “There is unemployment in Nigeria; you can all see that. There is hardship; you can all see that. The suffering is too much. The journey has begun.
“We want a democratic government. We are sure of winning the Senate, Reps and presidential elections. We are going to mobilise and unite to win come 2027.”
Jegede also said members of the PDP loyal to him had moved to the ADC and pledged to mobilise support for the party across the state.
“All the PDP members loyal to me have moved to ADC. We are going to let everyone know that ADC is the boss when we vote in January and February,” he said.
“You can see things are costly; we are going to bring it down. It is our vote that will determine the strength of our political party. As we came out today, let’s vote ADC massively.”
