Reported by Simon Daniel Yusuph l Journalist at Weng Global
More members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Alanamu Ward, Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State, have reportedly defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 general elections, adding to a series of political realignments across the state.
The latest movement comes as both major parties intensify grassroots mobilisation in Kwara, with defections occurring in several wards and local government areas ahead of the 2027 elections.
The development in Alanamu is politically significant because Ilorin West remains an important constituency in Kwara Central and has a history of intense competition between the APC and PDP.
However, the reported defection should be understood as a claim about the movement of party members rather than evidence that the entire ward has shifted political allegiance. Individual defections and political endorsements do not necessarily translate into electoral outcomes.
More APC members said to have joined PDP
The latest development involves members identified as having previously belonged to the APC in Alanamu Ward before announcing their movement to the PDP.
Details available on the latest development do not establish an independently verified total number of people who have changed parties.
That distinction is important in Nigerian political reporting because claims of mass defections are frequently made by political parties and campaign organisations during periods of intense mobilisation.
For that reason, the movement of members is best reported as a political development while allowing voters to determine its eventual electoral significance.
The PDP is expected to use the development to strengthen its grassroots structure in Ilorin West as it prepares for the 2027 elections.
The APC, meanwhile, has continued to maintain that it remains a major political force in Kwara despite losing some prominent politicians and recording defections in parts of the state.
Alanamu’s importance in Kwara politics
Alanamu Ward is located within Ilorin West Local Government Area, one of the key political areas in Kwara State.
Ilorin West forms part of the political heart of Kwara Central and contains several wards with significant voting populations.
The area has also been closely associated with the political history of Kwara, particularly the long-running contest between political structures linked to the Saraki family and the APC.
The 2019 elections dramatically changed the political landscape of the state when the APC defeated the PDP after the emergence of the Otoge movement.
The APC subsequently maintained control of the state, including the governorship and several legislative positions.
The PDP has since been working to rebuild its organisation and regain influence ahead of future elections.
The renewed movement of politicians and grassroots members between the two parties therefore forms part of a broader struggle for political control.
Earlier APC-to-PDP movement in Ilorin West
The latest Alanamu development is not the first time APC members in Ilorin West have announced their movement to the PDP.
In November 2025, hundreds of APC youths from Ajikobi, Alanamu and Ubandawaki wards in Ilorin West were reported to have defected to the PDP.
The defectors cited hardship, disappointment and what they described as unfulfilled promises by the APC-led government.
Mallam Musa Kabir, who spoke on behalf of the group, said the youths regretted their participation in the 2019 and 2023 Otoge political movement.
The PDP received the defectors and described the development as an opportunity to rebuild its grassroots structure in Ilorin West.
The episode demonstrated that the political contest in the area had already begun well before the 2027 election campaign reaches its peak.
Defections have become a wider Kwara trend
The latest report from Alanamu comes against a backdrop of several political defections across Kwara in 2026.
In September, more than 2,000 people described as APC members in Adewole Ward, also in Ilorin West, were reported to have defected to the PDP.
The development attracted particular attention because Adewole Ward is associated with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
According to BusinessDay, the defectors said they were supporters of Senator Saliu Mustapha and moved to the PDP following his own political realignment.
They were received into the PDP and pledged to support Mustapha, who had moved to the opposition party and secured the PDP ticket for Kwara Central.
The movement showed how the resignation or defection of prominent politicians can trigger further realignment among their supporters.
It also demonstrated that political loyalties in Kwara are becoming increasingly fluid as the 2027 election approaches.
PDP seeks to rebuild its grassroots structure
For the PDP, the reported movement of APC members represents an opportunity to strengthen a party that has struggled to recover its former dominance in Kwara.
The party controlled the state for many years before the 2019 election produced a major political change.
Since then, the PDP has attempted to rebuild its ward structures, reconnect with voters and take advantage of disagreements within the APC.
The return of former political figures and the movement of supporters from the ruling party have become central to that strategy.
The party’s challenge, however, is converting individual defections into a durable grassroots organisation capable of mobilising voters across the state.
Political defections can generate headlines, but electoral success ultimately depends on much broader factors, including voter turnout, candidate popularity, campaign organisation, party unity and the credibility of the candidates presented to voters.
APC faces internal challenges but retains significant structure
The APC’s political position in Kwara has also become more complicated ahead of the 2027 elections.
The party has experienced defections by prominent figures and groups of supporters, while disagreements surrounding its primary processes have generated additional political tensions.
Punch recently reported that the APC in Kwara acknowledged difficulties within the party but maintained that it remained in control of the state and expected to win the 2027 elections.
The party’s leadership said it was working through internal disagreements and expressed confidence that the situation would improve before the election.
That position is important when assessing reports of defections.
A number of defections can weaken a political party’s local structure, but they do not automatically mean that the party has lost an entire constituency.
The APC remains an established political organisation in Kwara with elected officials, ward structures and a sizeable support base.
Defection claims require careful scrutiny
Political defections in Kwara have previously generated disputes over the identity and number of people involved.
In August 2026, for example, the PDP leadership in Ubandawaki Ward rejected claims that some of its members had defected to the APC.
The PDP ward leadership described the reported movement as stage-managed and said no registered member of the party had left for the APC.
That dispute illustrates why claims of mass defections should be treated carefully and attributed to the political actors making them.
There is also historical precedent for conflicting claims involving Alanamu Ward.
In 2018, the PDP announced that hundreds of APC members had defected to the party in Kwara, including members associated with Alanamu Ward.
The APC subsequently rejected the claim and argued that the person presented as leading the defection was not a registered APC member.
The disagreement was widely reported at the time and demonstrates that political parties have long contested the authenticity and scale of defections in the state.
That history makes independent verification particularly important when reporting current political movements.
The Saraki factor
The PDP’s resurgence in Kwara is also closely linked to the return of political structures associated with former Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Saraki remains an influential political figure in the state, and his supporters have been involved in the PDP’s efforts to rebuild its grassroots network.
The recent defection of Senator Saliu Mustapha from the APC to the PDP has further complicated the political landscape.
Mustapha is a prominent Kwara Central politician and his movement has been followed by reports of supporters leaving the APC.
The development could have implications for the balance of political forces in Ilorin and surrounding areas, although the eventual impact will depend on how successfully the competing parties consolidate their support before the election.
2027 contest becoming increasingly competitive
The political developments in Kwara indicate that the 2027 election is likely to be closely contested.
The APC will be defending the political gains it made after the 2019 Otoge movement, while the PDP will be seeking to regain ground lost during that political transition.
Other political parties and emerging political movements may also seek to take advantage of disagreements within the two major parties.
The movement of politicians between parties is therefore likely to continue as candidates and their supporters position themselves ahead of the election.
In Kwara Central, where Ilorin West is located, the contest will have particular importance because of the concentration of political activity and the influence of major political figures.
What the defections mean for voters
For ordinary voters, the most important issue is not simply the number of politicians or party members changing platforms.
The significance of the movement will ultimately depend on whether it changes voter behaviour.
Political parties can attract hundreds or thousands of members during mobilisation exercises, but those members still have individual choices at the ballot box.
Furthermore, the Nigerian electoral system is based on votes cast and counted at polling units, rather than party membership announcements.
Consequently, the reported movement from APC to PDP should be regarded as an indication of changing political alliances rather than a prediction of the 2027 election result.
Reactions from the political parties
The PDP has continued to welcome new members as evidence that its organisation is gaining momentum ahead of the 2027 elections.
The party’s supporters have described recent defections in Kwara as signs of growing dissatisfaction with the APC and renewed confidence in the opposition.
The APC, on the other hand, has continued to argue that it retains a strong political base in the state.
The competing narratives reflect the normal political contest ahead of a major election, with each party seeking to portray its grassroots position as stronger than that of its rival.
Weng Global could not independently establish the full number of APC members involved in the latest Alanamu Ward movement from authoritative public records.
The report therefore treats the latest defection as a political claim and places it within the wider, independently reported pattern of party realignment in Kwara.
Why it matters
The development matters because Kwara is entering a crucial period of political competition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The reported movement of APC members into the PDP adds to a series of defections that have affected the political landscape in Ilorin West and other parts of the state.
If sustained, continued defections could force both major parties to rethink their grassroots strategies, strengthen their ward organisations and work harder to retain existing supporters.
For the PDP, the challenge will be to turn new memberships into a functioning electoral structure.
For the APC, the priority will be to manage internal disagreements and prevent further erosion of its support base.
For voters, the increasing political movement offers an opportunity to assess the records, programmes and candidates of the competing parties before making decisions at the ballot box.
What happens next
The political parties are expected to intensify grassroots mobilisation across Kwara as the 2027 election draws closer.
The PDP will likely continue receiving defectors and building its ward structures, while the APC is expected to focus on reconciliation, retaining its existing members and expanding its support base.
The credibility of future defection claims will also become increasingly important as the campaign develops.
Party officials and campaign organisations are likely to announce additional movements in the coming months, but such claims will need to be assessed against independently verifiable evidence.
Ultimately, the strength of either party in Alanamu Ward and Ilorin West will be determined not by announcements alone but by the organisation of campaigns, voter turnout and the ballots cast during the 2027 elections.
For now, the reported movement of APC members to the PDP provides another indication that Kwara’s political landscape is being reshaped ahead of the next general election.
WENG Global
Stories beyond borders
Sources
BusinessDay
Punch
THISDAY
Arise News
The Guardian
