The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ondo State has increased its preparations for the 2027 general elections following the defection of two-time governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, and his political associates to the party.

Jegede, who formally joined the ADC alongside a faction of his supporters and several former and serving PDP leaders, declared that the move was aimed at rescuing Ondo State from what he described as the grip of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The development came amid a gathering of ADC leaders and supporters in Akure to receive the former PDP governorship candidate and his political associates into the opposition party.

Among those who followed Jegede into the ADC were a former member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Segun Adegoke; the serving PDP chairmen in Ondo West and Owo Local Government Areas, Prince Demola Adeyemi, as well as former political office holders and lawmakers.

Also said to have moved with Jegede were several local government and ward executives, alongside polling-unit structures of the PDP across the state.

Speaking at the event, Jegede urged his supporters and other residents of the state to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards and use them to support ADC candidates in the 2027 elections.

He said his decision to join the ADC was driven by the need to provide an alternative political platform capable of challenging the APC at both the state and federal levels.

Jegede urged members of the ADC to commence grassroots mobilisation ahead of the elections, stressing that the strength of the party would depend on its ability to translate its growing political support into votes.

The event also provided a platform for national leaders of the ADC to rally support for the party’s presidential candidate, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

Former Osun State Governor and National Secretary of the ADC, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, charged members of the party to mobilise their supporters and voters ahead of the 2027 elections.

Aregbesola urged the new members to strengthen the party’s structures across the state and ensure that their supporters participated actively in the electoral process.

Atiku, who spoke at the gathering, called on Nigerians to vote out the APC and its presidential candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, citing the economic hardship being experienced by many Nigerians.

The former vice-president said the ADC would, if elected, pursue policies aimed at addressing economic challenges, restoring security and reversing some of the policies of the current administration.

Atiku said the party would restore fuel subsidy, while also promising to tackle insecurity across the country.

He said the ADC would draw lessons from the 1999–2007 period, when he served as vice-president, and argued that Nigeria’s economic position had declined under the APC administration.

According to him, the political task ahead was to mobilise voters and ensure that votes cast for the ADC were protected during the elections.

Atiku said the recent election in Osun State demonstrated the importance of massive voter turnout and effective protection of votes, urging ADC supporters in Ondo State to replicate the development in 2027.

He said: “Who is responsible for taking us down? Is it not APC? Then the best thing is for us to vote them out. And there is this now popular saying, which is that Tinubu must go, Tinubu must go.”

He, however, described Jegede’s defection to the ADC as a welcome development, noting that the former PDP governorship candidate had maintained a longstanding political relationship with members of the coalition.

Atiku said the ADC leadership was encouraged by the support Jegede enjoys in Ondo State and expressed the hope that the support would translate into votes for the party in the 2027 elections.

He said the gathering was not a campaign rally but a reception to welcome Jegede and his associates into the ADC, adding that the party would return to Ondo State to unveil its programmes to Nigerians and residents of the state.

The ADC’s latest development in Ondo State is expected to reshape the political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly with the movement of Jegede and PDP structures into the opposition party.