PDP Deputy National Chairman Arapaja Weighs Defection to APC After Reported Tinubu Meeting

Former Deputy Governor of Oyo State and National Deputy Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, is reportedly set to part ways with Governor Seyi Makinde's political camp and is set to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to party sources, the development is coming after Arapaja recently held a private meeting with President Bola Tinubu as consultations over his proposed defection gathered momentum.

Sources familiar with the matter said Arapaja is expected to resign next week from his position within Governor Makinde's faction of the PDP before formally announcing his next political move.

The former deputy governor's decision is reportedly linked to his dissatisfaction with the conduct of the PDP governorship primary that produced Abimbola Adekanmbi as the party's candidate.

A party source alleged that Arapaja was denied a level playing field during the primary process and became increasingly sidelined following the emergence of the party's governorship candidate.

"After the primary, he was treated with disdain and disrespect. That was when he realised he was no longer relevant in the political structure," the source claimed.

Another source, described as a chieftain of the PDP/APM alliance in Ibadan, alleged that Arapaja had gradually lost political relevance within the Makinde camp.

The source further claimed that the withdrawal of Arapaja's security personnel by the state government heightened concerns about his personal safety and became the immediate trigger for his decision to seek a new political platform.