A tectonic shift has altered the landscape of Nigeria’s legislative politics, fundamentally reshaping the balance of power within the green chamber of the National Assembly. Following the conclusion of the seasonal Sallah legislative recess, the House of Representatives resumed plenary on Tuesday afternoon to witness an unprecedented wave of cross-carpeting, highlighted by the mass defection of six federal lawmakers from Oyo State who dumped the Peoples Democratic Party to join the Allied Peoples Movement.
This coordinated legislative exodus provides undeniable proof of the expanding political footprint and structural influence of the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, within his new political home. The Governor, who recently sent shockwaves through the national political landscape by abandoning the Peoples Democratic Party, has formally signaled his intention to seek the nation's highest office by contesting the 2027 presidential election under the banner of the Allied Peoples Movement, transforming the relatively low-profile party into a formidable national vanguard.
The official declarations of defection were made public during a highly charged legislative session presided over by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Right Honourable Tajudeen Abbas. The Speaker read out a total of 13 separate formal letters from various lawmakers across the federation, each notifying the parliament of their immediate decisions to relinquish their old party memberships and align with alternative political platforms ahead of the fast-approaching 2027 general elections.
Among the communications read on the floor, the names of the six Oyo State representatives drew the most significant attention from political analysts and lawmakers alike. The defecting Oyo legislators were officially identified as Honourable Anthony Adebayo, Honourable Adedeji Olajide, Honourable Sunday Makanjuola, Honourable Oyedeji Oyeshina, Honourable Fola Oyekunle, and Honourable Adigun Adekunle.
In their respective letters submitted to the office of the Speaker, the six federal lawmakers offered identical structural rationales for their sudden departure from their former party. They pointed directly to the prolonged, seemingly unresolvable leadership crises, factional infighting, and deep-seated internal divisions that have paralyzed the national and state organs of the Peoples Democratic Party for months. The lawmakers maintained that the persistent domestic warfare within their former political home had made the platform entirely unstable, compelling them to seek a more cohesive, ideologically aligned alternative to safeguard the interests of their constituents as the country prepares for the next general election cycle.
With this development, Governor Makinde has successfully managed to pull six out of the fourteen total members representing the Oyo State caucus in the House of Representatives into the fold of the Allied Peoples Movement. This represents an absolute majority of the state’s federal legislative contingent, dealing a severe blow to the opposition infrastructure in the southwestern region and solidifying the Governor's absolute control over his home base as he builds a national presidential campaign structure.
While the loss of the Oyo caucus represented a significant setback for the Peoples Democratic Party, Tuesday’s plenary proved to be a highly volatile day of mixed fortunes, characterized by a complex web of both structural losses and surprising recruitment gains across different state delegations. The party’s bleeding extended to the northeastern region, where Honourable Auwalu Gwalabe, representing a federal constituency in Bauchi State, also announced his formal exit from the Peoples Democratic Party to join the rapidly expanding Allied Peoples Movement, further demonstrating the party's growing appeal beyond its traditional strongholds.
Conversely, the Peoples Democratic Party managed to successfully extract notable figures from the ruling All Progressives Congress and other minor parties in a series of retaliatory political maneuvers. In Katsina State, a major stronghold of the ruling party, Honourable Shehu Dalhatu, who represents the Faskari, Kankara, and Sabuwa Federal Constituency, officially announced his departure from the All Progressives Congress to join the main opposition party. In his formal notification letter, Dalhatu explained that his exit was the direct result of comprehensive town hall consultations with his rural constituents and an extensive review of recent controversial developments within the state chapter of the ruling party.
Similarly, the legislative caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party expanded its numbers in the southern region. From Delta State, Honourable Etanabene Benedict announced his formal exit from the Labour Party to register as a member of the main opposition, citing the endless, paralyzing leadership battles that have fractured the top hierarchy of the Labour Party since the conclusion of the previous electoral cycle. The party secured yet another victory against the ruling party when Honourable Alex Egbona decided to dump the All Progressives Congress, switching his allegiance to the opposition while issuing a public assurance to his constituency that his primary dedication to robust legislative oversight would remain completely unaffected by his change in party affiliation.
The sweeping wave of political migrations also manifested in other unique ways across different state chapters. In Edo State, where local political rivalries have reached a fever pitch, Honourable Esosa Iyawe announced his resignation from the All Progressives Congress to pitch his tent with the Nigeria Democratic Congress, blaming irreconcilable ideological differences and systemic exclusion by the managers of the party’s state chapter. Meanwhile, Nasarawa State lawmaker, Honourable Gbefwi Gaza, parted ways with the Social Democratic Party, formally moving over to join the ranks of the Labour Party.
As the dust settles over the lower house of the National Assembly, political strategists view this flurry of defections as an early, aggressive repositioning phase ahead of the 2027 presidential run. The dramatic expansion of the Allied Peoples Movement, anchored heavily by Governor Makinde’s legislative loyalists, indicates that the upcoming general election will likely transcend the traditional two-party dynamic, setting the stage for a highly competitive, multi-polar contest for the control of the central government.
