Ex-Ondo PDP Governorship Candidate, Agboola Ajayi, Denies Joining ADC

Former Deputy Governor of Ondo State and 2024 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Agboola Ajayi, has denied reports suggesting he has defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Ajayi, who was the PDP’s flagbearer in the November 16, 2024 gubernatorial election, dismissed the claim as false and misleading in a statement released on Tuesday. The statement, jointly signed by Ajayi and eight other PDP leaders in Akure, reaffirmed their continued loyalty to the party and discredited any notion of alliance or defection to another political platform.

The leaders insisted that both the national and state structures of the PDP had not entered into any coalition agreement with the ADC or any other party. They described the report as a calculated attempt to destabilise the party and create confusion among members.

Bakitta Bello, Chairman of the PDP Caretaker Committee in Ondo State, who released the statement on behalf of the signatories, emphasised that the PDP remains focused and united in its mission to reclaim political control in the state.

“The rumour is baseless and a deliberate attempt to cause disaffection within the party. Agboola Ajayi and other leaders of the PDP in Ondo State remain firmly in the PDP. No such defection has taken place,” the statement said.

The party urged members and supporters to disregard the rumour, warning those behind the misinformation to desist from further spreading falsehood. It added that legal and political actions would be taken against anyone trying to undermine the unity of the PDP in the state.

Ajayi, a key figure in Ondo State politics, served as deputy governor between 2017 and 2021. His movements and political affiliations have continued to generate interest within and outside the state.