Ex-Kwara Lawmaker Saheed Popoola Defects From APC to PDP

Former member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Saheed Popoola, has officially left the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), along with many of his supporters in Offa Local Government Area.

The defection took place on Sunday in Offa, where Popoola, who represented Ojomu/Balogun constituency, announced that his move to the opposition party came after deep reflection on the current state of the APC. He explained that the party had lost the values of fairness and unity it once stood for.

Popoola, a two-term lawmaker, said he joined the PDP because he believed it remained the only platform that could restore justice and inclusiveness in governance. He expressed confidence that the PDP would reclaim power in Kwara State during the 2027 general elections.

He also accused the present administration of failing to tackle insecurity and banditry, which he described as new threats in Kwara. According to him, the state had not witnessed such attacks since its creation, blaming the rise in insecurity on poor leadership.

Popoola, one of the key figures in the 2019 “O to Ge” (Enough is Enough) movement that ended the long rule of the previous administration, said the ideals of that struggle had been abandoned by those who benefited from it. He claimed that unity and inclusiveness were replaced with personal interests, which, in his view, derailed the vision of good governance.

While receiving the defectors, Kwara State PDP Chairman, Hon. Issa Bawa, welcomed Popoola back to the party, describing his return as a “homecoming” that would boost the PDP’s strength ahead of the next election. He said the party was regaining ground in Offa and across the state, assuring that the PDP would perform strongly in 2027.

Bawa also said that former Senate President Bukola Saraki had urged Offa residents to reflect on the achievements of the PDP compared to what the APC had delivered.

Reacting to the defection, the APC’s Publicity Secretary in Kwara State, Mr. Waheed Babatunde, dismissed Popoola’s move as unimportant. He stated that Popoola had been inactive in the party long before the last general elections and that his departure would not affect the APC’s strength in the state.

He added that Offa remained a stronghold of the APC and that residents would continue to support Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and the ruling party in future elections.