A former publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Raphael Adeyanju, has resigned his membership of the opposition party and defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), citing deep-seated instability and a lack of internal cohesion within the PDP.
Adeyanju announced his decision in a statement issued on Monday in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, describing his defection as the outcome of months of reflection on Nigeria’s political direction and his desire to contribute more effectively to governance and development.
“I hereby officially resign my membership of the PDP and defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress,” he said. “This decision is not made lightly. It is the culmination of months of introspection on the state of our nation, the political landscape, and where I can best contribute to the development of Ekiti State and Nigeria.”
Explaining his choice of the APC, Adeyanju said the party currently offers a more organised and governance-focused platform, singling out the leadership style of Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji as a major factor in his decision.
“At the state level, Governor Oyebanji’s calm, inclusive and development-focused leadership under the APC banner is exemplary,” he stated. “His Shared Prosperity Agenda, which emphasises peace, infrastructure, agriculture and social welfare, reflects the pragmatic, people-centred politics I believe in. The stability and visible progress in Ekiti today are testaments to the APC’s governance ethos.”
Adeyanju, who described his years in the PDP as a period of dedicated service, said the party had lost its capacity to function as a credible alternative at both state and national levels.
“The PDP is plagued by a fundamental crisis of identity and purpose. It has become a rudderless ship, captained by conflicting interests,” he said. “Its internal mechanisms for conflict resolution have collapsed, resulting in endless factional disputes, litigation over party offices and a culture of betrayal.”
According to him, a party unable to manage its own affairs cannot convincingly aspire to govern the country. He argued that the PDP’s recent trajectory has been defined more by internal grievances and electoral bitterness than by a coherent policy vision for Nigerians.
Positioning his defection as a strategic move rather than a symbolic one, Adeyanju pledged to deploy his experience in political communication and grassroots mobilisation to strengthen the APC in Ekiti State.
“I am not defecting to merely hold a flag; I am joining to work,” he said. “I am committed to working with the APC leadership at all levels to advance its programmes, enlighten the populace on government policies and deepen the party’s relationship with the people of Ekiti State.”
He concluded by thanking the PDP for the opportunities it had given him in the past, stressing that he harboured no bitterness but remained hopeful about Nigeria’s future.
Adeyanju’s resignation comes amid a wave of defections and internal disputes within the PDP across the South-West. Recently, a former Director of Media and Publicity of the Ondo State PDP, Ayo Fadaka, also resigned from the party, citing unresolved crises.
Fadaka’s decision was contained in a letter addressed to the PDP chairman of Ward B in Akure South Local Government Area, in which he lamented the persistent conflicts consuming the opposition party.