APC leaders dump party, join NDC, back Ajia for 2027 Kwara governorship
Eight political leaders from Asa Local Government Area have defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), declaring support for the party’s governorship candidate, Professor Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia, ahead of the 2027 election.
The defectors, drawn from Adigbongbo/Awe/Orimaro Ward in Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State, announced their decision on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, when they paid a visit to Professor Ajia.
The delegation was led by Alhaji Musa Agbaji of Awe and comprised seven other political and community leaders who, according to the Ajia 2027 Media and Communications Directorate, have influence across various communities in the local government.
The former APC members cited dissatisfaction with the party’s performance and internal practices in Kwara State as reasons for their decision.
They alleged that their communities had been neglected, while also expressing concerns over what they described as exclusion from meaningful participation and undemocratic practices within the party.
The leaders said they were attracted to Ajia’s leadership qualities and his Itesiwaju Kwara movement, pledging to return to their communities to mobilise support for the NDC ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Receiving the defectors, Ajia welcomed them into the NDC and thanked them for their confidence in his leadership and vision for Kwara State.
He also outlined key components of his Forward Kwara Agenda, explaining how Asa communities would benefit from his proposed development programmes.
Ajia stressed that every part of Kwara must be reflected in the state’s development priorities, regardless of its political or geographical location.
“Asa must not merely be remembered during elections. Its communities, farmers, young people, women, artisans and entrepreneurs must be connected to the opportunities, infrastructure and public services required for them to prosper,” he said.
The NDC candidate also criticised what he described as a transactional political culture in which politicians distribute money during election periods without creating sustainable opportunities for citizens.
According to him, temporary financial handouts cannot replace education, employment, infrastructure, access to finance and other policies capable of improving living standards.
“When politicians offer our people temporary handouts instead of education, jobs, productive infrastructure, access to finance and sustainable economic opportunities, they are not securing the people’s future, they are stealing it,” Ajia stated.
He urged the new NDC members to take the message of the Forward Kwara Agenda to their communities and mobilise residents around what he described as a 2027 election that should focus on opportunity, dignity and sustainable development.
Ajia further assured the defectors that the NDC remained open to Kwarans from different political backgrounds who shared its vision for a safer, fairer and more productive state.
The meeting ended with photographs between Ajia and the delegation, while the new members were presented with NDC documents and campaign materials for grassroots mobilisation across Asa.
The development is the latest in a series of activities by the Ajia campaign aimed at expanding the Forward Kwara movement across the state.
Ajia said the movement would continue its grassroots engagement across wards, towns and villages in Kwara.
“The Forward Kwara Agenda belongs to every Kwara community and every citizen who believes that our state can do better,” he said. “Together, we will take the message of Itesiwaju to every ward, every town, every village and every household. No community will be forgotten, and no citizen will be left behind.”
Ajia 2027 Media and Communications Directorate
Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)
