As the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State intensifies preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections, the state chairman of the party, Ade Adetimehin, has urged members to work in unity to secure victory for President Bola Tinubu and the APC at all levels.
Adetimehin, who spoke in Akure on Sunday, said the party had continued to attract new members due to the performance of the Tinubu administration, adding that both old and new members must prioritise unity and discipline to ensure electoral success.
The APC chairman made the call two days after receiving hundreds of defectors from the Action Alliance, led by the party’s state chairman, Comrade Alfred Akinuli.
Adetimehin said the Ondo APC remained strong and well-structured enough to accommodate new members, stressing that the party’s internal mechanisms and grassroots network made it capable of managing large membership without crisis.
“Our party has the capacity to absorb as many members as possible because there’s an established mechanism for running it,” he said. “But what we need most now is unity and hard work to win the state for President Bola Tinubu.
“We believe in the welfare of the people — that’s what makes us progressive. Politics is played at the polling units. Any leader who cannot win his unit is not worthy of leadership. Once you can deliver your unit, you are a true leader,” Adetimehin added.
On the defection, Akinuli said their decision to join the APC was borne out of a collective resolve to align with President Tinubu’s progressive ideology and contribute to national development through the ruling party.
According to him, the defectors included two former state chairmen of the Action Alliance, several local government chairmen, and a former deputy governorship candidate. He said the movement followed wide consultations among party stakeholders.
“We decided to join the APC because we believe this is the time to move forward, particularly in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Akinuli said. “We want to align with the progressives. For us to deliver massive votes, the best way is not to waste our votes in the opposition but to join forces with the APC.”
He described the ruling party as “progressive and well-structured,” adding that the new members were committed to contributing meaningfully to its success in 2027.
Several opposition members, including figures from the Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party, Action Alliance, and the Social Democratic Party, have defected to the APC in Ondo State ahead of the next general elections.
Among the recent defectors is a member of the House of Representatives representing Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency, Festus Akingbaso, who recently dumped the PDP for the APC.
