A prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Atiba Local Government Area of Oyo State, Hon. Adegoke Afeez (also known as Azeez), has officially defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a development that has sparked reactions within the local political space.

The defection ceremony was held on Tuesday at L.A. Primary School, Saabo, Oyo, where Hon. Afeez formally announced his exit from the PDP and declared his allegiance to the ADC.

Hon. Afeez, who hails from Ward One (01), is widely regarded as a grassroots mobiliser and a strategic political actor in Atiba politics. Until his defection, he was a key figure in the PDP’s local structure, and political observers have described his exit as a significant development in the political landscape of the local government.

The former PDP stalwart is a close ally and long-time political associate of the Executive Chairman of Atiba Local Government, Hon. Wahab Waliu Adetunji, popularly known as WABKEM. He was said to have played a strategic role in the chairman’s successful grassroots campaign in 2024.

Sources disclosed that Hon. Afeez served as the principal writer and intellectual force behind the campaign manifestos of Hon. Waliu Adetunji, contributing significantly to policy articulation and voter engagement across Atiba Local Government.

Although the reasons for his defection were not officially stated as of the time of filing this report, his move to the ADC is expected to reshape political alignments in Atiba Local Government ahead of future electoral contests.

The defection has continued to generate reactions among party stakeholders, many of whom have described Hon. Afeez’s wealth of political experience and grassroots influence as a major boost to the ADC in the Oyo Federal Constituency. (Nigerian Tribune)