Two former governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, Eyitayo Jegede and Agboola Ajayi, have formally defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), joining a swelling coalition aimed at challenging President Bola Tinubu’s administration in the 2027 general elections.

Naijaonpoint reports that the political realignment in Ondo State, which has seen key PDP stalwarts defect to the ADC, is gaining momentum across the state’s 18 local government areas, coalition leaders say.

At the inauguration of the Ondo State chapter of the coalition, former federal lawmaker and coalition coordinator, Bode Ayorinde, said the movement was attracting increasing support at the grassroots.

“All the local governments are with us. Our numbers are increasing, and we will continue to build on the momentum,” Ayorinde declared.

He noted that the coalition was not built on financial inducements but on shared ideology and genuine political participation.

He further stated, “We are not sharing money. We are offering a credible alternative. Membership cards will be distributed at the ward and local government levels soon.”

Ayorinde listed other notable figures in the movement, including former Senator Nicholas Tofowomo, ex-PDP Chairman Tola Alabere, and former PDP Publicity Secretary Kennedy Peretei. He also clarified that he had no intention to contest for office.

“We started with just 25 members. Today, we are over 300. This shows the failure of the ruling party. Ondo will be the first to take advantage of the ADC platform,” he said.

Former PDP spokesman, Kennedy Peretei, described the political shift as a response to national discontent and what he termed the misgovernance of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Peretei said, “The state of the nation and Ondo in particular demand a new direction. People feared Nigeria was becoming a one-party state. That fear is disappearing fast.”

He revealed that in at least two local government areas of Ondo State, the PDP had fully merged into the ADC, noting that the opposition party no longer existed in those zones.

He also accused the APC of internal wrangling, which he said the new coalition intends to exploit.

“There’s a lot of bad blood in the APC. We are poised to maximise that opening. Nigerians should be ready for what comes next,” he stated.