Former Minister of Interior and former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola has denied defecting to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying he joined the party as a platform to pursue his political agenda ahead of the 2027 general election.
In a video shared on đť•Ź on Monday, Mr. Aregbesola told supporters that his move to ADC followed unsuccessful attempts to reform the All Progressives Congress (APC) from within.
He said the APC leadership expelled him and his loyalists without due process after they refused to heed his advice.
“For context, I did not defect to ADC. I joined ADC as a platform to lead Nigerians from the darkness it is now to a new light,” he said.
“Now we have just two options: to abandon politics or to remain in politics and have a new platform to pursue our objective and vision for our people and the nation.”
The APC had announced Aregbesola’s expulsion in January 2025 over alleged anti-party activities.
He previously led a faction within the party known as The Osun Progressives, later rebranded as the Omoluabi Caucus.
Aregbesola also warned that defections by governors to the APC do not guarantee electoral success for the party in 2027.
He urged party leaders to focus on reforms, internal democracy and policies that respond to citizens’ needs.
