Fresh controversy has erupted within the political landscape of Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State following conflicting claims over the defection of several politicians formerly associated with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
The dispute was triggered after the NDC announced what it described as a “massive defection” of members of the PDP’s Transformation Camp into its fold, declaring the development as another major boost for the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement signed by Obinna Francis Solace of Team Omobarca Media, the NDC said members of the PDP Transformation Camp formally joined the party and were received by its House of Representatives candidate for Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, Hon. Francis Bartholomew Chima, popularly known as Omobarca.
According to the statement, the defectors said they decided to align with the NDC because of what they described as Omobarca’s growing acceptance across the constituency and their belief in his vision for purposeful representation, inclusive governance and development.
The celebration, however, quickly sparked a wave of rebuttals from different factions within the PDP.
The first reaction came from loyalists of former House of Representatives member, Hon. Rita Boluwatife Orji, after some of the individuals featured in the NDC’s photographs were identified by political observers as former members of her political structure.
Among those reportedly seen in the photographs were Nkama Okoro, Pepecious, Emeka, Udor, and Joy Chilaka.
The Rita Orji camp swiftly distanced itself from the defectors, insisting that the individuals had exited both the Transformation Team and the PDP long before the latest political development. According to the group, the affected politicians had earlier moved to the Labour Party with the Omobarca group,then to ADC before eventually joining the NDC.
The rebuttal maintained that no recognised member of the Transformation Team or the mainstream structure loyal to the former lawmaker defected to the NDC, describing attempts to associate the caucus with the latest defections as misleading.
The statement further explained that while some PDP members are presently participating in the forthcoming elections under the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), the arrangement is merely a strategic and temporary political alignment pending the outcome of ongoing litigation involving the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and should not be interpreted as a defection from the PDP.
The controversy took another twist when the mainstream PDP leadership in Ajeromi-Ifelodun, led by Chairman Hon. Kabiru Adewale Adebiyi, questioned the authority of Hon. Chinedu Ezugha, who signed the rebuttal as General Secretary of the PDP in the local government.
Adebiyi described Ezugha’s claim to the office as “absolute impostorship,” arguing that the faction he belongs to had already aligned with the APM, contrary to the official position of the PDP regarding the forthcoming general election. Reacting further to the development, the PDP Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Kabiru, dismissed claims that there is a faction within the party, insisting that the PDP remains united.
According to him, those being referred to as a faction are merely aggrieved members and not a recognised structure within the party.
“There is no faction in the PDP in Ajeromi-Ifelodun. What we have are only aggrieved members,” he said.
He also refuted the claim that Mr. Chinedu is the General Secretary of the PDP in the local government, stating that the position is officially occupied by Elder Abiola Ariyo.
The Chairman further maintained that the individuals involved are not acting on behalf of the PDP but are members of the “Hon. Rita Transformation Group,” which he said should not be mistaken for the official party structure.
According to Adebiyi, the political reality in Ajeromi-Ifelodun no longer supports the continued existence of the Transformation Team as a united bloc and also as a PDP group.
“You can only belong to one political party at a time. The Transformation group has long been fragmented, with the majority of its members joining the NDC, while another faction is now operating under the APM. It is therefore misleading for anyone to continue presenting the group as a single PDP structure,” he said.
The conflicting narratives have further exposed the deepening divisions within the PDP in Ajeromi-Ifelodun, where multiple factions now lay claim to the party’s authentic leadership amid ongoing realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Political analysts believe the latest exchange reflects the intense struggle for political relevance among former allies as parties reposition themselves for the next electoral cycle. With the NDC aggressively expanding its membership, the PDP grappling with internal divisions, and some members temporarily operating on the APM platform while awaiting judicial pronouncements, the political battle for Ajeromi-Ifelodun appears set to intensify in the months ahead.
