BENIN CITY — Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun, has formally joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), signaling a major political shift ahead of the 2027 elections.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that Chief Oyegun received his ADC membership card on Tuesday from the Edo State Chairman of the party, Mr. Kennedy Odion, at the party’s secretariat in Benin City, Edo State.
Odion, while presenting the card, described Oyegun as a seasoned political strategist with a long history of coalition-building in Nigeria’s political space.
He stated that Oyegun’s entry into the ADC marks the beginning of a renewed political realignment aimed at pulling Nigeria out of its current economic and security challenges.
According to Odion, “Chief Oyegun has done this before. He has successfully formed a coalition party in the past that won power.
He knows the formula, and in mathematics, once the formula is known, the solution is not far off.”
He noted that Oyegun was appointed as the chairman of the implementation committee that selected the ADC as the preferred political platform for the new coalition.
Odion added that Oyegun’s Edo origin gives added credibility and momentum to the movement, describing Edo as the “heartbeat of the nation” and a symbolic location for the political revival to begin.
Speaking during the ceremony, Chief Oyegun revealed that his decision to settle with the ADC came after months of consultation and comparative analysis of several political parties.
He explained that he and his team examined at least seven parties and delayed the final decision multiple times to ensure they selected a party with genuine national interest.
“In the end, after we had spoken to many other parties, we returned and said: ADC is it. It’s the only party we saw with a clear, people-focused vision,” Oyegun declared.
He explained that the choice of ADC was based on the party’s commitment to good governance, national unity, and socioeconomic progress, principles which he claimed are currently lacking in the ruling APC.
Oyegun did not hold back in criticizing his former party, the APC, blaming it for the worsening hunger, poverty, and insecurity across the country, particularly in Benue and other violence-stricken states.
“The country has never been this divided. Under this present administration, led by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the suffering has intensified,” he stated.
He said that the decision to part ways with the APC was difficult but necessary, considering the suffering of Nigerians and the widening divide in national cohesion.
Oyegun also hinted that several other notable politicians are expected to follow his lead and defect to the ADC in the coming weeks as dissatisfaction with the APC grows across the country.
He praised the growing appeal of the ADC and encouraged Nigerians to rally around the party, which he described as a credible alternative to the status quo.
The move by Oyegun, a founding member and pioneer chairman of the APC, is expected to send shockwaves through the political landscape as preparations for the 2027 general elections begin to take shape.