The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Abayomi Tella, has said politicians who recently left the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been reduced to “onlookers” in the ruling party.
Tella, who spoke in an interview with journalists on Thursday, claimed many PDP defectors are being sidelined within the APC because they were not part of the party’s foundation or its early struggles for electoral victories.
Recall that in July 2025, the immediate past Ogun PDP chairman, Sikirulai Ogundele, the party’s former 2023 deputy governorship candidate, and several others defected to the APC.
But Tella insisted their move had not paid off.
“It is no longer enviable for a politician to cross from PDP to APC because most of our members who have gone there have become onlookers,” he said. “They were not part of their system from day one. When the members of the party were working for their victory, the defectors were not there, so they will still be treated as outsiders.”
Despite the political tension, Tella said the PDP remains open to welcoming back prominent figures such as Governor Dapo Abiodun and the senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
According to him, the party will strategically position itself to benefit from the ongoing rift between Abiodun and Daniel, especially if either politician becomes dissatisfied within the APC.
“Dapo Abiodun may not likely get his senatorial ticket from the APC. Maybe this rift will help us lure him back to the PDP so we can rehabilitate him to fit into the ideologies of the party,” Tella said.
He added that Daniel, as well as former Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who all have PDP roots, would also be welcomed if they choose to return.
“It will be a big win for us to harvest Amosun, OGD, or Abiodun back into the PDP. The three of them came from this party; ambition only drove them away,” the chairman stated.
Tella reaffirmed the strength of the PDP in Ogun State, saying the party remains resilient despite internal challenges over the years.
“PDP is here to stay. The party can never die. If you try to kill it today, it will resurrect tomorrow. We are making frantic efforts to keep our people together,” he said.
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