Hundreds of youths loyal to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State have defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing growing disillusionment with the current administration and what they described as unfulfilled promises of the “Otoge” movement.
The mass defection took place in Ilorin, the state capital, where youths from Ajikobi, Alanamu and Ubandawaki Wards in Ilorin West Local Government Area formally announced their decision to abandon the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, the leader from Ubandawaki Ward, Mallam Musa Kabir, said the move was a direct response to years of economic hardship, neglect, and policy failures under the APC-led government.
Kabir lamented that the hopes of progress and empowerment championed during the 2019 and 2023 electoral campaigns had given way to widespread frustration and poverty. He accused the administration of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of lacking a coherent vision to uplift the youth and improve livelihoods.
“The promises we believed in have turned into hardship and regret. Many small businesses have folded up because of harsh government policies, and our young people are left jobless and hopeless,” he said.
Receiving the defectors on behalf of the PDP leadership, the party’s State Secretary, Comrade Abdulrahman Abdullahi Kayode, applauded the decision as a “courageous step towards restoring credible leadership and inclusive governance in Kwara.”
Kayode noted that most of the young people who spearheaded the Otoge struggle in 2019 had been sidelined once the APC assumed power, adding that their return to the PDP signified a turning point in the state’s political realignment.
He assured the new entrants of equal participation in the party’s structure and access to leadership opportunities, stressing that the PDP remained committed to rebuilding trust among citizens.
Other speakers at the event, including Wasiu Orekan, Alfa Adam Elelubo, Lookman Olarotimi Shehu Mukadam, Alhaja Shuaib Dupe Salamat, Alanamu Abubakar Jos, and veteran politician Alhaji Musa Tapa, condemned what they described as the “total neglect of the grassroots” by the APC government.
Alhaja Salamat, a former civil servant who was dismissed after the 2019 elections, recounted her ordeal, alleging that loyal supporters of the “Otoge” movement were abandoned after helping the party to victory.
In his remarks, Alhaji Tapa — a long-time political associate of the late Dr. Olusola Saraki — declared his return to the Saraki political family, urging the youth to obtain their voter cards and “flush out failed leadership” in 2027.
