Former Minority Leader, Senator Biodun Olujimi leaves PDP for APC in Ekiti

A former Minority Leader in the Senate, Senator Biodun Olujimi, has dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State.

Olujimi, who represented Ekiti South Senatorial District in the Eighth and Ninth National Assemblies, joined the APC in her Ward 7, Omuo-Ekiti, Ekiti East Local Government Area of the state on Saturday.

The former lawmaker cited the need for “fresh alignment with progressive ideals and a new political direction” as reasons for her defection.

She stated that the decision was made after wide consultations with her supporters, political associates, and key stakeholders across the South-West zone and the country.

Olujimi noted that the performances recorded by Governor Biodun Oyebanji, especially his inclusive leadership style, necessitated her decision to join in mobilising for the governor’s 2026 second-term bid.

Receiving Senator Olujimi into the APC alongside other leaders in Omuo-Ekiti on Saturday, a chieftain of the party and Commissioner for Transportation, Kehinde Ajobiewe, told Nigerian Tribune that the defection of the former lawmaker would be a great value addition to the ruling party in the state.

Ajobiewe, who described Senator Olujimi as “a political juggernaut and community leader,” said she has contributed to the development and growth of the community and the state in the last few years.

The commissioner lauded her for acknowledging the giant strides of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in the last three years in the state, adding that her resolve to join the APC would bolster the re-election bid of the governor, who he said has performed creditably well in office.

The seasoned lawmaker, who once served as Special Assistant to the President on Media during the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, has been a central figure in Ekiti politics for over two decades, especially in the PDP.

She was also the Deputy Governor of Ekiti State between 2005 and 2006, and later emerged as Senator representing Ekiti South Senatorial District, where she became one of the most vocal and respected female voices in the National Assembly.