Former Ondo State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, has resigned from the party amid its prolonged internal crisis.
Jegede announced his decision in a resignation letter dated August 7, 2026, addressed to the PDP chairman of Ward 11, Owode/Imagun Ward, in Akure South Local Government Area, Fabiyi Kole Adewale.
His resignation took effect immediately, bringing his membership of the opposition party to an end.
Jegede, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Ondo State, was the PDP candidate in the 2016 and 2020 governorship elections.
He contested both elections against the late former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of the All Progressives Congress but lost on both occasions.
The former candidate later confirmed his resignation and said he would announce his next political move when the time was right.
His exit comes as political alignments continue to take shape ahead of the 2027 general elections, with several politicians and supporters moving away from established parties.
Some prominent associates of Jegede had already left the PDP for the African Democratic Congress in recent months as part of the political realignment ahead of the next election.
One of those who left is Hon. Balarabe Abiodun Akinwunmi, described as a close associate of the former governorship candidate.
Akinwunmi has joined the political coalition backing the ADC, which has former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as one of its leading figures.
He is currently the ADC candidate for the Akure North/Akure South Federal Constituency for the 2027 election.
Jegede’s resignation has therefore added to the series of political movements within the PDP as parties and politicians prepare for the 2027 elections.
The former Ondo governorship candidate has not disclosed whether he plans to join another political party, support a political coalition or pursue a different political path.
He is expected to make his next political decision known at a later date.