According to report by The Nation on Thursday, October 29, 2026, a group of former local government councillors from Oke-Ogun, Oyo State, has reaffirmed its support for Governor Seyi Makinde, the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), as well as the party’s governorship candidate, Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, Oyo North senatorial candidate, Hon. Shina Peller, and other APM candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The declaration was made on Thursday during a strategic meeting held at the Iseyin residence of Peller, the Ayedero of Yorubaland.
The meeting attracted former councillors and other political stakeholders who were active at the grassroots between 2021 and 2024.
The gathering was attended by 65 of the 105 former councillors from across the Oke-Ogun region, with participants using the occasion to clarify their political position following reports that the entire group had defected from the APM to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Hon. Salau Nurudeen Alowonle, who represented Ward 10, Owode Ipapo, in Itesiwaju Local Government Area, described the reported mass defection as untrue.
According to him, 65 of the former councillors remain committed members of the APM and continue to support Governor Makinde.
He maintained that the 35 members reportedly aligned with the APC represented a minority and could not speak on behalf of the entire group.
Former Chief Whip, Hon. Abiola Khaleed Olaosepin, also rejected the defection report, describing it as propaganda intended to misrepresent the position of the former councillors.
Olaosepin said their support for Makinde, Adekanmbi, Peller and other APM candidates remained firm.
He added that the group would utilise its political structures and grassroots networks to mobilise voters and work toward victory for the party in 2027.
Another stakeholder, Hon. Oyewola Kemi, urged APM members to disregard what he described as opposition distractions.
He said the 65 former councillors constituted a strong political bloc capable of making a significant impact at the polls.
In his response, Peller expressed appreciation to the former councillors for their loyalty and public declaration of support.
He said their commitment would contribute to political and developmental progress in Oke-Ogun, Oyo State and Nigeria.
Peller also criticised the APC, accusing it of being disconnected from Nigerians and their needs, and claiming that the party had no tangible solutions to offer the people.
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