A member representing Ijebu North State Constituency and former Minority Whip of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Rasheed Kashamu, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress, citing deepening internal crises and irreconcilable differences within the opposition party.
Kashamu’s defection was formally announced on the floor of the House on Monday during plenary, following the reading of his letter by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Oludaisi Elemide.
The lawmaker, in the letter, attributed his decision to persistent factional disputes at the national level of the PDP and unresolved leadership tussles in Ogun State, which he said had polarised the party and undermined its cohesion.
Explaining his move, Kashamu said he had resolved to align with the APC in order to support the policies and programmes of Governor Dapo Abiodun under the ISEYA agenda, as well as the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“After a careful review of the state of affairs of the PDP at the national level, marked by factions and unresolved leadership crises, and in consultation with my leaders and teeming supporters in Ijebu North I, we agreed to move en masse into the APC,” he said.
Kashamu added that the decision was informed by his desire to sustain the pro-people legacy that earned him the mandate of his constituents and to contribute meaningfully to governance in the state.
He disclosed that he had already formally joined the APC at his Oke-Sopen Ward in Ijebu-Igbo, Ijebu North Local Government Area, alongside supporters drawn from across the constituency.
Following the announcement, the Speaker and other lawmakers formally welcomed Kashamu into the APC fold at the Assembly Complex in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, with his wife, uncle and other well-wishers in attendance.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the House also acknowledged a letter from Governor Dapo Abiodun seeking the confirmation of Mr. Abdul Najeem Olayinka as the new Auditor-General for Local Governments in the state.
The request followed the retirement of the immediate past Auditor-General, Mr. Lamidi Mulero.
The Speaker subsequently directed the nominee to appear before the House for screening on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at 12 noon, and to submit 30 copies each of his curriculum vitae and relevant credentials to the Clerk of the House by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, December 16.
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